Nutrition supports are supports which can help you get nutrition if your disability affects the type of nutrition you need and how you eat. It can be help from someone to understand the types of food you need to stay healthy. You may also need help to prepare meals and follow a meal plan. Nutrition supports can also include equipment and products to help you get the nutrition you need. For example, your disability may mean you need nutritional supplements to get enough nutrition.
There are many ways you can get the nutrition you need to stay healthy. Like most people you may take in food orally, which means through your mouth. If you can’t get enough nutrition in through your mouth, your medical team may decide you need home enteral nutrition or HEN. HEN gives your body nutrition, through a feeding tube into your stomach.
A feeding tube can go through your nose into your stomach, called a nasogastric tube or NGT. Or the tube could go through your skin straight into your stomach. This type of feeding tube is called a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy or PEG. You may have a PEG if you have dysphagia, which is difficulty chewing or swallowing.
You may use a combination of ways to get the food and drink you need. How you eat will affect the nutrition supports you use.
Disability-related nutrition supports may include:
- a dietitian to work with you to create a disability-related meal plan
- support to help you follow a meal plan
- HEN and PEG equipment
- products to help you eat safely and get the nutrition you need like food thickeners
- support to manage your HEN or PEG.
Learn more about what types of nutrition supports we may fund.