[Council of Social Services Channel] Hong Kong's "Guidelines on Standards for Caregiving Food" are released. Speech therapists: A common "speech" can help the industry and people with swallowing difficulties
Hong Kong has entered an aging society. According to the Census and Statistics Department, by 2040, more than 30% of the population will be elderly people aged 65 or above, and the number of elderly people aged 85 or above will double from the current less than 250,000 to more than 500,000. It is predicted that the number of patients with dysphagia due to aging and various diseases will gradually increase. How to provide them with suitable meals is not only a problem for caregivers, but also a challenge for society.
In the past, there was no unified standard for "care food" in Hong Kong. Different institutions, institutions and product suppliers in the market had their own standards and applications. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) conducted a "Survey on the Current Usage and Demand of Care Food" in 2019. Both institutional staff and home caregivers believe that it is important to have clearer "care food" standards and guidelines, such as: food The softness, hardness and nutritional content of the food are in order to choose the appropriate "care food" food; more than 60% of caregivers want to improve the quality of food, but do not know the relevant techniques.
Ms. Tan, a caregiver for patients with dementia, said: "Because my mother is missing some front teeth and big teeth, she will have difficulty chewing. She also has cognitive impairment. She may forget her abilities and may choke when swallowing food. She chokes. At the most severe stage, she may cough non-stop until her face turns red, and I will worry about her having a problem. I will try to cook the food softer and chop the food as much as possible before cooking, so it will take more time to cook. . When she was eating, if she was not careful, she might have caught some hard or too "big" food, and she might have chipped her teeth. She would be more worried when her teeth chipped, worried that she would not spit out the teeth, and worried that she would choke. "
In view of this, the HKCSS collaborated with the Food Research Center of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Institute of Swallowing Research of the University of Hong Kong, based on the "International Dietary Standards for Dysphagia" (IDDSI) and with the sponsorship of strategic partner Kerry Group, to cooperate with scientific Data and locally applicable vocabulary descriptions are used to formulate a unified, clear and localized "Care Food Standard Guidelines", and the cooking methods of local care food dishes are also attached for reference by all walks of life, for use by family caregivers and different professionals, to meet the needs of all walks of life. Basic dietary needs for people with dysphagia.
Ms. Tan said that before the "Guidelines for Nursing Care Food Standards", she didn't know how to measure whether food was soft enough. Sometimes her mother would take a long time to eat and sometimes she would spit out the food. Next time, she would cook it softer, or The volume is smaller. After receiving the guidance, she will feel more at ease and know how to measure the hardness and softness of the food. She will have tested whether it is suitable for her mother to eat before she eats it. She does not need to try it while her mother is eating, thus reducing the risk of her mother choking.
Tang Ho-wah, a speech therapist and senior research assistant at the Swallowing Institute of the University of Hong Kong, said: "The most important thing is to have a common language among speech therapists, not just speech therapists, but also family members and patients. Because before there were guidelines, we When it comes to broken meals, family members, patients, and speech therapists wonder how broken they are because everyone’s idea of “broken” is different, and there is no simple way to measure it. and simple tools to assist them, we often see that caregivers may not necessarily do that. Therefore, because we do not have a common language, we may have differences, which may be harmful to patients. Caregivers learn how to apply Guidelines to facilitate family members’ daily care work, so that family members can rely on their role as speech therapists to assist patients in checking food and play a role in daily monitoring.”
According to the "Guidelines on Food Standards for Care", the status of food and drinks is divided into 9 levels. For example, thin and watery level 0, finely chopped and soggy, level 5, and level 7 means the food is in its original state. Generally, personal caregivers or institutional staff can test the form of food and drinks with forks, spoons and syringes; as for food manufacturers, they can use specific testing instruments to obtain scientific data to more accurately produce "care food" foods and Drinks. The "Guidelines" also detail cooking tips, nutritional factors, as well as cooking demonstrations and test application examples of 45 common local ingredients and 17 dishes.
The "Care Food Standard Guidelines" provide a reference for people from different sectors such as "Care Food" users, caregivers, therapists, institutions, food manufacturers, etc. when making and purchasing "Care Food" products. At the care level, the guidelines allow users and caregivers to obtain specific and practical information, which will help them choose appropriate "care food" products to improve and coordinate their recovery. At the service level, food manufacturers can use the guidelines as a reference blueprint to produce standardized "care food" products, thereby expanding the market and increasing supply.
"Care Food" website https://www.carefood.org.hk/
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