CATERING A Recipe for Success:


Providing Nourishing Care Home Catering Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare's Sophie Murray advises how care providers can tackle care home catering, whilst ensuring residents hydration and nutrition needs remain at the fore.


The key to getting catering in care homes right is respecting the diversity of the residents, and their care needs. As the first ever Head of Nutrition and Hydration at Sunrise Senior Living and Gracewell Healthcare, operating across 41 care homes in the country, I am responsible for ensuring that we are on top of all the latest research into how best to support the catering needs of older people.


Although my work provides overarching guidance across our care homes in the UK, it is crucial for individual homes to tailor their food and nutrition provision to each resident. With this in mind, the following guidelines are key when considering how best to approach food and nutrition in care homes.


Be Aware of Changing


Food and Eating Patterns As people age, their appetite may decline, and physiological functions slow down. Long-term medication taken to protect against a variety of health risks may further affect the body’s metabolism, so it becomes increasingly important for sector professionals to ensure residents are receiving all the nutrients they need to sustain good overall health. Malnutrition is thought to affect 10% of the elderly in the UK, so making sure that residents eat smaller portions of nutrient-rich food throughout the day becomes essential.


Pay Special Attention


to Chronic Conditions Those living with dementia, for example, may require an altered provision of food as their condition progresses – including snack stations,


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instead of the typical three main meals a day, with finger foods to make eating easier, and the availability of food at night if necessary.


The great news is that because food activates the senses of smell, taste, and sight, it is one of the best ways to engage with a resident’s memories. Food in care homes can be modelled on meals of special significance from the resident’s past, bringing memories back to life, and if staff join in the mealtimes, this can act as a social prompt and make the experience a memorable one for everyone involved.


“Food in care homes can be


modelled on meals of special significance and can act as a social prompt.”


Use High-Quality,


Nutritious Ingredients When developing catering menus and nutritional programmes, taste should always come first; but tailoring menus to individual nutritional needs should come a close second. Homemade soups and stews, made with fresh ingredients, can be a fantastic source for easy-to-digest meals that facilitate nutrient retention. By contrast, raw foods should be avoided at all costs, as stomach acid can often decline with age, making it more difficult for older people to digest these types of foods. Whatever the menu, real food should take the lead over supplementation as it will provide residents with all the nutrients they need to lead a healthy life.


Push the Boundaries


of Food Innovation The care sector is such an exciting workplace at the moment because it is constantly innovating. From dementia-friendly crockery, which helps to define the food on the plate and reduce confusion for those residents whose sight and visual processing has been affected; to specially enriched milk with the essential immune-boosting mineral Selenium; to nutritionally analysed smoothies made from fresh ingredients, which can have a highly positive impact on energy levels.


Staying on top of the latest research allows us to continually improve care home residents’ experience of mealtimes and ensure they are an enjoyable focal point in the day.


www.gracewell.co.uk www.sunrise-care.co.uk


www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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