Long-Term Care Food Services Orientation eLearning Course Series
Publish Date:
Do you have dietary team members who are new to long-term care? Are you looking for interactive courses to include in annual training to help support your dietary team, whether they’re new or experienced?
Equip team members for the safe support of residents during snack and mealtimes through our eLearning series, Long-Term Care Food Services Orientation.
Co-designed with the Ontario Seniors Nutrition & Advocacy Committee (OSNAC) and the Ontario CLRI at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, this series supports dietary team members with an introduction to food services teams, resident dining experience, and key dietary terms. It also explores diet reports, food textures and fluid consistencies, and the foundational principles of safe nutrition and hydration.
The Long-Term Care Food Services Orientation was developed with input from subject matter experts and experienced team members. The courses are grounded in best practices for food services and adult learning, and provide dietary team members with a general introduction to food service. The courses feature audio narration, interactive learning activities, videos, case scenarios, and additional resources for further learning. Completing these courses will provide new team members with foundational learning before in-person training.
Explore the courses
This orientation series is available at no cost and each course takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The courses are also available on Surge Learning.
Course 1: The Food Services Team and the Resident Dining Experience
Course content includes:
- FLTCA/MLTC Regulations
- Food services from a resident’s perspective
- Food Services Team Members and Roles
- The Dining Experience (Overview of Dining Room)
Course 2: Diet Report, Food Texture, and Fluid Consistency
Course content includes:
- Dietary Referral process
- Common Words and Phrases used in LTC
- Diet Report
- Diet Order/Diet Types
- Dietary Interventions
- Commercial Nutrition Supplements
- Servery Overview
- Dysphagia (brief explanation)
- Food Textures
- Fluid Consistencies (IDDSI)
- Beverage Cart Overview
- Snack Cart Overview
- Kitchen Overview
Course 3: Dysphagia and the Elements of Safe Eating
Course content includes:
- Application of person-centered strategies to improve safety, dignity, and independence for residents with dysphagia
- The causes, signs, symptoms, and impacts of dysphagia and the appropriate actions to support residents
- Elements of safe eating and drinking, and the importance of following them properly
- Promotion of safe and supportive eating and drinking techniques
Acknowledgements
This eLearning series was developed with input from subject matter experts as well as an advisory panel of dietary team members who are working in LTC. The development of these courses is grounded in best practices for food services and adult learning.
A special thank you to the Ontario Seniors Nutrition & Advocacy Committee (OSNAC) and the Ontario Association of Residents’ Councils (OARC) for their contribution to the development and review of course content, and supporting the video production for this eLearning Series.
We extend our sincere thanks to the long-term care residents who generously participated in the video and photo shoots, and shared their experiences through interviews to inform the development of this course.
We would like to thank the people who contributed to the development and review of content for this eLearning series:
Subject Matter Experts
Lian Carroll, RD, Nutrition Care Partner; Sienna Senior Living; OSNAC Member
Julie Cavaliere, BaSc., MHA, RD, VP Operations, Mealsuite, FNAT Member, OSNAC Member
Amrit Chhoker, BASc, RD, Senior Manager, Nutrition & Wellness, Marquise Hospitality, Compass Group Canada; OSNAC Member
Lauren Emrich, BSc, NM, Regional Director of Hospitality & Food, Schlegel Villages, OSNAC Member
Carol Donovan, RD, President, Seasons Care Dietitian Network, OSNAC Lead/Member
Heather Keller, RD, PhD, Professor, Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo; Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition and Aging, Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging
Dale Mayerson, RD, Consulting Registered Dietitian, OSNAC Member
Stacey Scaman, RD, Director, New Builds & Special Projects, Corporate Dietitian at Seasons Care Dietitian Network, FNAT Lead, OSNAC Member
Penny Zdichavsky, CNM, Director of Dietary Services, Albright Manor, OSNAC Member
Advisory Panel
A special thank you to the members of our advisory panel for their invaluable contributions to the development of this eLearning module. This work was enriched by insights and expertise of long-term care team members including Personal Support Workers, Food Service Workers, Registered Dietitians, and Nutrition Managers. Their lived experience, practical knowledge, and thoughtful guidance helped ensure that this eLearning reflects real-world practice and supports safe, person-centered care.
Related Resources
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