Columbia Aged Care Services

It’s really nice to show you care by cooking special favourite meals for the resident of an aged care facility — perhaps culturally specific food or a family favourite which is not normally available in that facility.

But if you do, you really wouldn’t want to make them sick, so there are some things you need to know.

Immune systems of the elderly get weaker as they get older. Their stomachs produce less acid which makes it easier for harmful germs to get through the digestive system and invade their bodies.

If elderly people do get food poisoning, they are also likely to suffer more severe consequences. These can range from mild dehydration to neuromuscular dysfunction or even death. Older people also take longer than most of us to recover from food poisoning.

There are some foods that pose a higher risk than others, particularly of passing on a Listeria infection which is dangerous for the elderly.

Higher risk foods include but are not limited to:

• Cold meats – cooked or uncooked, packaged or unpackaged.
• Cold cooked chicken Purchased whole, portions, sliced or diced
• Pate Refrigerated pate, liverwurst or meat spreads
• Salads Pre-prepared or pre-packaged fruit, vegetables or
• Chilled seafood Raw or smoked ready-to-eat eg oysters, sashimi or
• Sushi, smoked salmon or trout, sandwich fillings, precooked

This fact sheet has been kindly sponsored by Compass Group (Australia).