| Mealtime is a very significant part the day. It is a | | | | reasonably varied to suit individual tastes. A |
| time to nourish and 'refuel' - but also to socialize | | | | variety of serving styles is essential as well. |
| and unwind. This doesn't change when people | | | | Instead of ordering at the table and having their |
| move to seniors housing. In fact, the dining | | | | food brought to them, some residents may |
| experience may become even more important. | | | | prefer to dine buffet-style from time to time. |
| Having a say in what to eat, and in what kind of | | | | Many residences offer all of these choices. |
| environment, enables senior housing residents to | | | | If a physician places a resident on a special diet, |
| maintain the type of dining experience they were | | | | it's important to ascertain that the food services |
| accustomed to before moving to assisted living. | | | | staff can tailor meals to meet the resident's |
| To accommodate this desire, many communities | | | | nutritional needs. It can be a challenge motivating |
| offer dining rooms complete with wait-service, | | | | a resident to eat who is on a special diet, |
| entertainment and, of course, top-notch cuisine. | | | | especially if the food they've been prescribed is |
| Some menus even include delicacies such as filet | | | | not the food they want to eat. To make this |
| mignon and prime rib. There certainly is a trend to | | | | easier, meals should appeal to all of the senses. |
| go from institutional foods to more high-end | | | | Taste, texture and color should balance out as |
| foods, says food consultant Meureen Boyle of | | | | much as possible and meals should be |
| Boyle consulting. At the same time, she added, | | | | eye-catching. Overall, the better trained the food |
| residents also still demand what she calls | | | | services staff, the greater the customer |
| 'comfortable foods' such as macaroni and cheese | | | | satisfaction will be. |
| and meatloaf.Combining the old way with the new | | | | As you tour an assisted living or retirement |
| way, Maureen says, seems to work best. What is | | | | residence, ask these key questions: |
| most important is to offer choices. | | | | - Does the residence provide three nutritionally |
| A high-quality dining experience is a key ingredient | | | | balanced meals a day, every day? |
| for customer satisfaction in long-term care, | | | | - Are snacks available? |
| according to ALFA's 1000 National Assisted Living | | | | - May a resident request special foods? |
| Resident Satisfaction Study. While quality of care | | | | - Are common dining areas available? |
| is always of foremost importance when selecting | | | | - May residents eat meals in their units? |
| a senior housing environment for oneself or a | | | | - May meals be provided at a time residents |
| loved one, the 'quality-of-life' services, such as | | | | would like, or are there set times? |
| dining, can make each day more enjoyable. When | | | | The dining experience in senior housing has |
| gauging the quality of dining services in a senior | | | | changed a great deal over the years with a focus |
| housing community, Maureen Boyle advises | | | | on greater customer service and satisfaction. The |
| making sure the staff provides good 'wait-style' | | | | good news is that senior communities are listening |
| customer service, waits on one table at a time | | | | more to what residents want and going out of |
| (serving everyone at the table simultaneously) | | | | their way to provide a meal that is both |
| and treats each resident as an honored guest. It's | | | | pleasurable and reminiscent of the way residents |
| also important to look for menus that are | | | | have been used to eating all of their lives. |