Alberta’s standards for food and nutrition are spread across two sets of documents and several standards in each. Before an inspection, or after one, most homes want to know one thing: for each provision, what would we show, and where is it? This service answers that in a single binder, prepared by a registered dietitian who reads the standards for your licence class and the records you already keep.
- The accommodation standards and the health service standards both form part of the Continuing Care Regulation.
- You receive a clause-by-clause table: the provision, the evidence you hold, where it is kept, and what is missing.
- It lists evidence and gaps. It never states that a home complies or will pass an inspection.
What the review covers
| Provision | Applies to | Evidence usually shown |
|---|---|---|
| At least three meals a day, with nourishing fluids and snacks available at all times | Type A | Meal schedule and snack and fluid rounds |
| Meals that follow the therapeutic and special diets in each resident’s care plan | Type A | Diet lists and tray or service records |
| Menu cycle of at least three weeks, meeting Canada’s Food Guide (2007) | Type A; type B and supportive living that provide daily meals | The cycle menu and its analysis |
| Menu reviewed and approved by an RD, or an RD or CSNM manager at 11+ residents | Type A; type B and supportive living at 11+ residents | A signed, dated approval |
| Daily menu posted before the first meal | Type A | The posted menu and where it hangs |
| Choice within at least one food group at every meal; variety and seasonal variation | Type A, type B and supportive living | The cycle, marked for choices |
| Substitutions from the same food group, similar nutritional value, communicated | Type A, type B and supportive living | Substitution log and resident notices |
| Record of meals served and substitutions kept three months | Type B and supportive living | The meals-served record |
| Residents’ opinions on meals, and consultation on when meals, fluids and snacks are provided, every six months | Type A, type B and supportive living | Survey results, minutes, action log |
| A registered dietitian included once a resident is assessed as having therapeutic nutrition and hydration needs | Type A and type B (health service standard 14) | Assessment and care-plan entries |
| Eating-assistance and choking-prevention training | Type A and type B (health service standard 9.2) | Training register |
What you receive
- The table above, filled in for your home, with where each piece of evidence is kept.
- A plain list of gaps, each with the smallest change that would close it.
- A short walkthrough call with your food service lead and director of care.
Common gaps have their own help: which classes keep the three-month record, the six-monthly resident feedback and the training register.
Common questions
Who inspects food and nutrition in Alberta continuing care?
Licensing inspectors from Alberta’s Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services inspect to the accommodation standards, and health compliance officers audit to the Continuing Care Health Service Standards.
Can the review tell us how an inspection will go?
No. Only Alberta’s inspectors decide that. The review tells you which evidence you hold and which you do not, so your team can decide what to fix before an inspector asks.
Does the review look at resident records?
No. It looks at menus, logs, registers and policies. Where a provision is evidenced in resident charts, the review notes where your team would show it without anyone sending resident information to us.
This review lists evidence and gaps against the provisions named above. It is not a finding of compliance and does not predict an inspection result, which only Alberta’s inspectors make. Other standards apply to continuing care beyond food and nutrition and are outside this review.
- Continuing Care Regulation, Alta Reg 21/2024 (Alberta King’s Printer)
- Accommodation Standards – Continuing Care Home Information Guide (Government of Alberta, effective 1 April 2024)
- Accommodation Standards – Supportive Living Accommodation Information Guide (Government of Alberta)
- Continuing Care Health Service Standards (Government of Alberta, 2024)
- Continuing care accommodation and health service standards (Government of Alberta)