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No matter where I go, it seems like the most common complaint in nursing homes involves the food. Understandably, making meals that appeal to every resident remains a challenging task.
For one thing, nursing home residents come from such a wide variety of backgrounds that affect their meal preferences. This includes their ethnic heritage and the traditions of individual families.
Then you need to consider the personal likes and dislikes of each resident. This is reflected in something I see so often when I read notes from resident council meetings. One person complains that the food has too much seasoning, while another resident describes the food as bland.
Add to this, many residents have special dietary needs. These result from a variety of conditions such as swallowing difficulties, gluten intolerance, diabetes, or kidney disease.
Also, sensory changes commonly occur because of age or illness. This affects how food tastes, smells, or looks to the resident.
Finally, there’s the matter of money. Nursing homes need to provide delicious, attractive, and nutritious meals while staying within the limitations of what is often a tight budget.
So, what are we to do?
If you’ve been with my blog for a while, you know that I love to research and share innovative programs from long-term care facilities around the world. The other day, I was searching online for more award-winning nursing home programs in Australia.
In the process, I was pleasantly surprised to come upon several creative ideas aimed at greatly enhancing the nursing home dining experience. These are my favorites. (I’ll include direct links in case you wish to learn more about a specific program.)
Memory care dining
At Noosa Care in Queensland, residents living in the memory support unit experience the “joy of good food.” Here’s what makes their dining program special:
- The facility raises chickens, and residents help feed them every day. They also collect the eggs, which are then used in meals.
- There are two full kitchens on the unit. Here residents prepare food with help from staff, volunteers, or their family members.
- Residents help care for facility gardens, then harvest and cook the vegetables.
- Staff dines with the residents. This promotes socialization as well as encouraging better intake during meals.
- Wherever possible, they make the food fresh from locally sourced produce.
- Staff uses language that promotes resident dignity. For example, the term “pureed food” becomes “smooth food.”
Noosa Care encourages us not to merely focus on the nutritional value of meals. We also need to find ways to bring joy to the lives of our residents through food.
Resources for creating beautiful meals
With a career that included cooking for the royal family, Chef Peter Morgan-Jones of Sidney now works in the non-profit world. His passions include inspiring and educating people to provide top-notch meals for residents of aged care facilities.
Chef Peter is the co-author of three books. The first, Don’t Give Me Eggs That Bounce, offers tips and recipes that enable us to create wonderful meals for people living with dementia.
His second book, It’s All About The Food, Not The Fork, shows us how to provide amazing meals for people with a variety of eating difficulties.
Last year, Chef Peter came out with his third book, Lobster For Josino. Here you’ll find advice and recipes to create meals for people experiencing life-limiting illnesses.
Around the World Globe Festival
Residents at Whiddon Laurieton in New South Wales enjoy a monthly event celebrating different cultures. Each month’s theme is based on the background of residents and staff, countries residents visited in the past, and special days they love to celebrate.
With input from residents, the dietary staff prepares an authentic cultural meal. In addition, the staff comes up with decorations, costumes, and entertainment to fit the current theme.
These are just a sampling of past themes:
- French: A Night In Paris
- Dutch: Tiptoe Through The Tulips
- Indian: Bollywood
- German: Oktoberfest
Staff note that residents enthusiastically look forward to these events. The festivals also promote socialization, storytelling, and pride in their cultural heritage.
Food Appreciation Program
At Lifeview Residential Care in Melbourne, it’s all about resident choice. Each quarter, members of the dietary team meet with residents to discuss meals from the previous quarter.
Topics include a review of likes and dislikes, overall impressions of food service, and meal presentation. In addition, residents offer ideas for new recipes, upcoming menus, and meals for special events.
These are a few of the changes resulting from these meetings:
- Addition of a breakfast buffet with more flexible breakfast hours
- Special food tasting events
- Unique menu items such as sardines on toast
- Cooking groups to involve residents in meal preparation
- Featured cultural meals
- A chicken parmigiana lunch requested by the residents to raise money for drought-stricken farmers
Several benefits have been noted, including improved resident satisfaction, decreased food waste, and better food intake among under-nourished residents. Interestingly, the program has not increased food costs.
What does your nursing home do to provide top-notch meals for your residents? If you have a unique dining program, I would love to share the details with my readers. Leave a note in the comment section, and I’ll contact you for more information.
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