Food and drink in care homes: top ten nutritional care tips
At Richmond Care Home in Shirebrook, we believe that providing nutritious food and drinks to our residents is absolutely fundamental to good care - a nutritious diet is one of the most critical factors in staying healthy.
According to the Care Quality Commission, nutritional care means determining a person’s individual preferences and cultural needs, defining their physical requirements and then providing the person with the food they need. Good dietary care involves training and access to information for staff, residents, and their relatives.
Mealtimes are really important to us! We have seen that moving into Richmond Care Home can have a really positive impact on a person’s diet, nutrition, and hydration. People’s appetites often reduce with age, so keeping older people interested in food can be a challenge – but we have developed ways of working with food that help counter this.
Here are the top ten guidelines we follow to ensure positive food and drink experiences in our home.
Richmond Care Home’s top ten nutrition tips
- Because we get to know our residents and their personal preferences so well, we know what, when, and how each person likes to eat. At Richmond Care Home, our experienced catering and care staff get to know each resident’s food choices and preferences, including those based on ethnicity, culture, and faith.
- We offer a wholesome, freshly prepared daily menu that reflects our residents’ preferences. We love using local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible, and our catering staff work hard to create delicious, appetising menus. The menu varies on a monthly rota according to residents’ comments and always includes fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Some residents like the structure of three traditional meals a day in our home, whereas others prefer to change things up a little! We pride ourselves on the choice of hot and cold options at each mealtime, with lighter options alongside tasty treats, so that each resident has the freedom to choose their preferred food each day.
- We record any special dietary requirements – such as vegetarian, vegan, diabetic, Coeliac, and gluten-free – in our resident’s personal plan. Meals are nutritionally balanced to meet dietary needs.
- We know that no two people are the same when it comes to appetite and when hunger strikes! Therefore, we ensure that snacks and hot and cold drinks are available at all times. We are well-known for our delicious homemade cakes – a firm favourite amongst friends and family when they come to visit!
- We encourage residents at Richmond Care Home in Shirebrook to eat together in the dining room as there are so many social and nutritional benefits of enjoying meals in company. However, our residents are free to choose to eat their meals in their own room or in any of our social areas if they prefer, and all in their own time.
- Our team is always on hand to support and encourage residents at mealtimes. We support each resident’s right to eat and enjoy their food, so provide any additional help required in each circumstance: for instance, providing a liquidised diet, finger foods, or adapted cutlery and crockery.
- We regularly encourage residents to get involved with baking as part of our varied activities programme. Our residents often enjoy the opportunity to get back in the kitchen and show off their skills!
- We take pride in ensuring all meals are safely prepared and well presented. Our staff are all trained in hygiene, health, and safety practices, and all food handling meets these guidelines. We are committed to providing a pleasant, clean, and homely environment where our residents can eat safely and comfortably.
- We know that our residents’ health, preferences, and circumstances can change over time, so our team of staff regularly reviews anything that may affect the ability to eat or drink – for instance, dental health or other advancing health conditions. We see our residents as family, and we continuously do everything we can to adapt with and provide support to every individual throughout their stay with us.
If you have any questions about food and drink or nutritional care at Richmond Care Home in Shirebrook, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
