Diet aides work with nutritionists to plan, prepare, and deliver meals to patients in institutions like nursing homes and hospitals. They may assemble and deliver trays of food, track eating habits, and clean the kitchen. Strong social skills are important, and some may choose to become registered dietitians.
A diet aide is an individual who works with a nutritionist to plan, prepare and deliver meals, usually for people in institutions such as nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities or hospitals. The different dietetic aide jobs can vary depending on the training the dietetic aide has received; some will simply be responsible for assembling and delivering trays of food, while others may do additional work with patients and the nutritionist who is designing the meal plan. This type of diet aid can help track a patient’s eating habits and food preferences and use that information to help with meal planning.
Diet helper jobs almost always involve some work in the kitchen, even if it’s not actual food preparation. The diet helper may be responsible for creating each person’s tray based on instructions from a nutritionist or physician. Often this careful food selection is being done to help someone get or stay healthy, maintain a specific weight, or receive proper nutrition to heal after an illness or operation, so it is very important that every meal is prepared correctly. Some people in staple diet aide jobs will receive on-the-job training, but most are expected to have completed some food service training, usually in high school or a technical career institute.
Delivering meals to patients is usually a part of most diet aide jobs, and a diet aide must have a pleasant demeanor and strong social skills. The diet helper may also come back for the tray when the patient is finished and may be responsible for taking notes of how much was eaten or any food preferences the patient shares, which can be shared with the nutritionist. Typically, a diet aid will also need to keep records of when a meal has been delivered, to help ensure that each patient receives the proper amount of meals per day. Such record keeping can also be an important part of most diet helper jobs.
Cleaning can be another aspect of diet helper jobs and usually involves cleaning and sanitizing items in the kitchen. Most diet helpers work day shifts, although it may involve late nights or a little late at night if someone is given breakfast or dinner shifts. Some diet helpers find that they enjoy the work and may choose to take further training to become a registered dietitian and continue working with patients at a more advanced level, improving their health through careful dietary control.
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