Each day, dietitians across Providence Care play a critical role in supporting the health and well-being of patients, clients, and residents.
There are eight registered dietitians who work across our hospitals and long-term care home. They assess nutritional needs and create individualized dietary plans – prioritizing the balance of calories, protein, fluids and other nutrients that support healing and recovery for patients, clients and residents. Food is truly fuel and medicine for the body.
Dietitians have a broad scope of practice and do much more than simply prescribe diets. Their days can involve problem-solving with patients, addressing feeding challenges, providing dietary education for newly diagnosed diabetes, counseling individuals with complex medical conditions, and developing specialized tube feeding plans for patients with swallowing difficulties. Each day brings something new and different.
A dietitian at both Providence Care Hospital and Providence Transitional Care Centre, Morgan Koster uses a tailored approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring that plans align with patient’s medical conditions and nutritional requirements.
“I love the aspect of helping people make informed, personalized choices that can improve their health and well-being. It’s rewarding to see how small changes in nutrition can have such a big impact on someone’s life, whether it’s helping someone manage a condition, improve their energy levels, or healing post trauma. Every client brings a new challenge, so there’s always something new to learn,” says Morgan.
Diet and nutrition are foundational to overall health and well-being because they provide the body with the essential nutrients it needs to function.
Dietitians also support outpatients in Providence Care’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, helping those recovering from a recent cardiac event or diagnosis. They help patients make long-lasting changes, providing education, support and tools for a healthier lifestyle.
Fiona Aris has worked as a dietitian for more than 37 years and works primarily with outpatients in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.
“We take a holistic approach to counselling to help patients navigate sustainable, positive lifestyle changes. It is not just about providing nutrition education; it is also about engaging them in motivational counselling. This helps them identify nutrition goals and actions that enable them to actually incorporate changes into their daily lives.”
Recently, one of Fiona’s patients surprised the team with a lunch based on foods from his native country of Armenia that he adapted to be heart healthy. Another patient brought in Greek baklava that she adjusted for a healthier fat content.
“Nutrition counselling is the most enjoyable part of my job,” explains Fiona. “It is so great to hear feedback from the cardiac rehab patients on how their blood sugar and cholesterol have improved, how they are eating less sodium and more fibre,” she adds.
With decades of experience, Fiona knows firsthand how empowering patients with the right tools and knowledge can lead to lasting change and transformative outcomes.
Working alongside dietitians every day is the incredible Food & Nutrition Services team comprising of over 200 staff who prepare food, take orders, distribute meals, assist with cleaning and so much more.
During Nutrition Month and Dietitian Day, we encourage people to take time to think about the focus of “Nourish to Flourish”. Small changes in nutrition can lead to improvement in immediate well-being and long-term health. It’s not about being perfect – every little change helps!
Happy Nutrition Month and Dietitian Day to our wonderful team!
Are you interested in a career supporting patients in their nutrition at Providence Care? We are hiring cooks, a clinical dietitian and dietary aides. Visit our website to learn more!
