How We Support Good Nutrition and Hydration at Home

Jewel Home Support has a responsibility to ensure Service Users are receiving proper nutrition and hydration at every visit. That means more than putting a meal on the table: it means promoting choice, offering variety, and making sure a drink is always within easy reach.

Promoting choice at mealtimes

Where possible, we make sure Service Users have a say in their own nutrition. Our carers check the cupboards, fridge and freezer, find a few realistic meal options, present those options to the Service User, and ask which they would prefer. Making the quickest or easiest thing every day is not always best; everyone deserves a full, comprehensive diet that supports their health and wellbeing.

Variety in every diet

Good nutrition support includes:

• ✓Incorporating fruit and vegetables
• ✓Making something different rather than repeating the same easy option
• ✓Offering both hot and cold meals

Food safety and dates

Out-of-date food can cause illness, so all dates are checked before preparing food. When cooking, food must be cooled fully before it goes in the fridge, and foods closest to their expiry date are kept at the front so they get used first. Frozen food must be used the day it is defrosted and must never be re-frozen. Any expired food is reported to the office and documented.

Keeping drinks within reach

The British Dietetic Association recommends women drink around 1,600ml and men around 2,000ml of fluid per day, though this can be challenging for some people to reach. Every small amount counts, and any preferred drink counts towards meeting hydration needs, including tea or coffee. Our carers know what amount each Service User normally drinks, always offer both hot and cold drinks, and make sure there is something to drink within easy reach before they leave.