Principles of Nutrition and Meal Preparation

As a home health aide, your support of a client’s nutrition directly affects their health, healing, safety, and comfort. In this course, you’ll learn how to follow the aide care plan during meal prep, practice safe food handling, and assist with feeding. Interactive scenarios will allow you to practice these skills as they apply to real-world situations.

Course Objectives

1. Outline the basic food groups and their importance for a balanced diet as recommended by current dietary guidelines
2. Adapt safe food handling, sanitation, and storage practices to prevent foodborne illness in the home environment
3. Identify safe feeding practices and common dietary restrictions/modifications, and implement them safely in meal preparation
4. Recognize signs of nutrition challenges (e.g., malnutrition, dehydration, food refusal), and report concerns to the supervising nurse
5. Respect cultural, religious, and personal food preferences, and communicate effectively when requests differ from the aide care plan

This course was written in alignment with the CMS Conditions of Participation for Home Health: 42 CFR §484.80 (Home Health Aide Services) training expectations relevant to aide services (including tasks tied to nutrition/feeding assistance within the care plan):

• https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-G/part-484/subpart-B/section-484.80

Estimated Runtime: 30 minutes

Reviewed and approved by
Kim Tate, RN, BSN

NOTE: This course is not a substitute for legal advice for any individual provider or situation. Always consult your company’s legal or compliance personnel with any questions or concerns related to this subject matter.