Picture this: its 11:00 in the morning and time for all the residents at an elder community to come to the dining room for lunch. There, each sits with a plastic tray, and each tray holds the exact same food. Let’s say its roast beef day. So, on each tray sits a segment filled with a slice of roast beef. Another segment is filled with mashed potatoes, and another has cottage cheese. To drink, the resident gets a carton of milk or juice. By noon, the dining hall clears, and the residents return to their rooms or activities.
But what if a resident doesn’t like roast beef? Or possibly she wants different side items to go with it? What if she’s still not hungry at 11, and wants to eat at one o’clock in the afternoon?
This is not how food should be handled at senior care facilities, and though it might be the norm at some places, it certainly is not that way at The Homeplace of Henderson.
We believe good food is one of the core pieces of a comfortable life, so that’s why we use a resident-centered food service approach. If you’ve read some of our blog posts, you know that we strive for personalized care. That means we’re motivated by our residents’ needs and desires, and we try to see the world through their eyes. Because we take this approach, we know that residents don’t want to be herded into the dining hall at the same time every day to offer the same food to everybody.
We take the approach that the kitchen is never closed. Residents eat at a time that best suits them. That means that breakfast might be served from 6-9 a.m., lunch from 11-1, and supper from 4-6 p.m. A snack cart is pushed throughout the facility to offer further choices throughout the day.
When a resident comes to eat, she can sit wherever she likes and with whomever she wants. We have a menu that she can order from, and so she’ll always find something to her liking. When food is presented, it looks and smells great—it’s fresh and colorful. And the aesthetics don’t stop there; our food service employees dress nicely, so a resident can feel as special as if she’s at a fine-dining establishment.
Furthermore, in many of the pods of our facility, there is a central kitchen where a resident can cook for herself, if she chooses. Friends can even come to help and enjoy socializing as the food simmers in the kitchen.
Finally, if a resident doesn’t want to get out of her room, we can bring it to her just like nice hotels offer room service.
How do we know what foods to offer? We ask our residents. We take the time to find out what each likes, and we try to get that variety on our menus. Our resident dining committee meets and evaluates what needs to be changed about dining services. We listen to them.
We do all of this because we know how important food is. It’s not just to fill your stomach. It’s about enjoying delicious food with friends. It’s about eating what you want when you want. It’s about making the Homeplace of Henderson your home.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com, call at (270) 577-0534.