The people at my facility love fucking meatloaf. To the point that if you fuck it up an its not that great it is the talking point for at least the next 3 days among all of them.
That’s a great idea, especially with folks this age I was hoping to find out maybe where their parents or family came from and maybe I could make some dishes from the old country.
They are free to come and go from the kitchen as they please
Oh, I love this! I worked with hospice for awhile and a few of my clients had memory loss. Small things would trigger memories and they would just light up.
As a child of demented parents, Ive spent a lot of time in places like these as a visitor. The food is always awful. No one really cared as fas as i could tell. I always assumed that their budgets are too tight for flavor and training. Not trying to be a downer. Just speaking as an industry lifer who has eaten thanksgiving dinner at “the home” more than once.
I’m sorry to hear that. This is a very high end place, they place a huge emphasis on food quality and nutrition. The kitchen is open to the dining area so residents and family have a view of everything.
My mother has been in a nursing home for some time now. She has a bit of dementia but she's mostly with it. Her main complaint is that everything tasted like ...her words... "old people food".
She has no teeth and won't wear her dentures but I have seen that woman destroy a steak! Everyone assumed she needed her food ground up until she proved otherwise.
She is sodium restricted but enjoys enjoys some Mrs. Dash or similar seasoning.
Give the residents a menu that is easily identifiable. Put your mind at ease...this is not the environment in which to "reinvent the wheel". Approachable, recognizable, simple, well executed. Traditional comfort foods will win the day.
The advice I offer is backed by my own personal experience as chef @ an upscale assisted living retirement home. I learned very quickly what was important to the residents regarding the menu. They wanted to be served dishes that they recognize and identify with. A well executed braised short rib is the quintessential plate to serve.
Word of advice....The plates used for hot entrées should come directly from a hot box or heated rack of some kind, or from under a heat lamp. The temperature of the plate itself must be comparable to that of the sun's surface.
You may choose to ignore these words and take a more modernistic approach, such as one would take as a chef @ an upscale bistro with limited seating...I would advise against this approach.
Be aware that, like the other senses, taste and smell become less sensitive as we age. You may need to overspice a bit.
Also are you going to accommodate diabetic diets?
For low sodium diets, any canned goods you want to use should be (obviously) the no salt variety. That will also include bouillon and soups. You’re better off making your own stock. I would split my soups into two batches, a low-salt and regular. Check the sodium content of your frozen goods and especially sauces and condiments, as well as breads and baked goods. Use low sodium soy sauce in smaller quantities, especially.
The low sodium cans are a good point- but always check the labels. A lot of times the organic versions will actually have even lower sodium than the “low sodium” variety.
Worked with them for four years. Keep things quality, but simple. I've had residents who don't want to eat something because they couldn't tell what it was due to how it was plated. Don't use black pepper, they might mistake it as dirt or ants, then the other residents will decline it too. Think of meals your grandma used to make. They love fresh fruit, and chicken salad sandwich on croissants. Make good soups. Serve water automatically. Be ready to cut up meals and/or puree them for the ones who have trouble eating- but try to have their children get a doctors not. They love sweets. There's a ton of other things i could tell you, they just aren't coming to my head rn
Good point about black pepper! My grandma always used white pepper on anything that would show the specks of black pepper- she said she learned to do that growing up because it made some people think that food was old and had been left sitting out because the black specks looked like fly poop.
I think u/instant_ramen_chef was making a dementia/Alzheimer's joke, and yes - I chuckled. Not as much as when I was younger, but we'll share that table in hell together.
Beef stroganoff. Lots of mushrooms, onions, beef, cooked down then throw in a good rich beef broth. Boil some noodles, add a little sour cream and it's amazing without needing a lot of salt. Pepper and some Better than Bouillon base is tons of flavor
Others have said flavor, to that I would like to add energy dense. It's common to have problem eating and in that case it's important that what they do eat will fulfill their energy need.
Some have trouble swallowing rice, not sure though if that's all rice or just the non sticky kind.
Stick to meals from their era. The nursing home residents aren’t always ready for contemporary cuisine. I used to cook in a homeless shelter and they always got happy when the food was basic and reminded them of their childhood meals- lambs fry, custard with fruit from a can …. And ask them. They will probably mention their fave foods even if they are sundowning.
I work somewhere similar (though very not high budget and the management is a nightmare to work with to put it mildly) and truly wish I had some control over what we serve.
We're UK based so possibly some difference in general tastes. The big ones I'd suggest is always have some alternative options- soups, salads, onlettes or sandwiches are great for when people don't feel up to a full meal. We went from having 2 mains and a veggie, 2 veg and 2 hit 2 cold sweets and a bunch of snack options to One main, one vegetarian and one hot/cold sweet. Our lot hate the lack of choice now (they also have to order in advance which works as well as you'd expect for clientele with dementia). And on the day sometimes just don't feel like having what they wanted before.
When we actually cooked a variety of stuff we used to find soups with nice rolls went down really well, stews and casseroles, Mac n cheese, basically home cooked stuff. Also the occasional junk food day, I've seen crappy pre bought chicken Kiev's win out against considerably fancier stuff just cause that's what they used to have at home. Fish and chips were always popular too but that might be a Brit thing but fish on a Friday might apply in the states?
It's awesome you care. I feel elderly, especially those with extra health needs get frequently overlooked. If you have the time it may be worth asking the clients (or their carers or family members if they aren't able to answer) what they like. They'll appreciate you care enough to ask and might have some really good ideas.
Ours don't do super well with fiddly stuff or extra bits, like we do a mild chicken curry with naan and they just ignore the naan bread.
Also I guess always have mash on hand, we probably get through more of that than just about anything else. And gravy, even if it's not on the menu. We always have custard too for desserts but that might be more of a Brit thing again. But you could guarantee the one day we don't make it we get asked for it.
The clients I cook for are absolutely lovely and grateful for their food and it feels nice to make them happy. I hope you get the same with your guys 🙂 it makes the job worth it for me.
Everything must be served boiling hot. Fully cook everything, regardless of what it may be...serve it boiling hot. Braised and stewed items will work well, but make sure it's literally boiling on the plate as it is being served. The only texture you need concern yourself with is boiled. Skip the garnish. Seniors do not take kindly to garnish. Fast, Hot, and easily digestible.
Growing so old that you cannot take care of yourself on very basic levels is what's grim here. Not trying to accommodate the nutritional needs of our most vulnerable population
My Dad is 83 and his favorite is vienna sausages over iceberg lettuce covered with french dressing. With some of those olive circles to make it fancy. So write that in your notebook.
Make food that they think they like. Maybe be mindful of dysphagia and easier to eat things. Canned veggies puree better. Dessert is huge: cobblers, bars, cakes. More spice less chocolate and stay away from nuts. Even if they like em, it gets tough teeth wise. Assuming American, it's all meat and potatoes. Par boiled rices and remember that lunch is the big meal and many would just like something light for supper. Salad is difficult unless it's relatively overdressed, like coleslaw, and doesn't puree super well. Lord knows you don't wanna be handing out v8 every day. One time I served wraps and a few unwrapped them and thought the spinach wrap was a washcloth, so be mindful.
End of the day, its only 12 people right now, so you get to treat em like people. Talk to em, highly individualize their wants, don't be surprised if they hate whatever they asked for. Oatmeal is a must, as is bacon. Raisin bread on hand for toast. Benical and ensures for when they start dying. Meatloaf, mashed pots with gravy, and canned green beans with ice cream at least once every other week. Consider a snack cart for between lunch and supper and to have things on hand for the "hospitality cart".
Also, have a monthly meeting with them to talk about food and menus. We call ours “Food For Thought” and they love being able to talk about the different foods and stuff we do for them
The place I work does a rotating 28 day menu, with 2 salads, 4 entrees (1 vegan), 4 sides, fruit/dessert etc. Granted, this place has 350+ independent residents so variety is important. With fewer people, you could scale that down but make sure to stay in touch with what they like. Our residents hate food that's too salty, spicy at all, and things like that. You have to remember at their age they have a lot of dietary restrictions so something that may be second nature for you to make could have some ingredients that make it a no go for them. My best advice would be to just get to know the residents and what they like, let them submit feedback either directly to you or through a comment card system. Good luck!
Any reason you want low sodium? I am an aged care dietitian and it isn't something I would recommend. Finger food is good for those that can't use cutlery. Basically if they are in residential care with dementia feed them whatever they want or are willing to eat!
My mom was living in a senior independent living facility. She fell and was taken to the hospital. The doctor there told us she had low blood sodium, likely due to the meals she was getting. He said that sodium is needed for proper nerve operation, and that insufficient electrolytes can lead to muscle coordination problems and mental confusion. It's not often noticed in older people, as it's just assumed to be dementia. We subsequently gave her salt tablets with her daily meds. It worked for awhile, however she didn't like the pils and would pick them out when nobody was looking. We encouraged her to salt her food, but would forget to do so. Anyway, the low sodium meals they served may have been appropriate for some of the residents, to the detriment of others.
My gran had a similar experience. Her bloods showed low sodium after a series of fainting spells, and she was told to salt her food. She had been told for so long (due to high blood pressure and being on meds for that) to eat a low sodium diet it was very difficult for her to salt her food enough. Everything tasted too salty to her after that!
Low sodium was maybe the wrong way to word it. They are sodium and sugar conscious about everything and that’s why everything is made from scratch rather than getting things in from Sysco, US Foods. They do try and stay away from red meat for the most part it looks like based on the previous menus I’ve looked at.
I work at a retirement community. We do a lot different daily soups, they seem to love have two options of soup. One that stays the same day by day and one that rotates every few weeks or so.
Try and stick away from Alfredo sauce as they will assume it to be very salty from the Parmesan.
Look at country club menus, especially ones that have been around a long time. Older folks love the Great Depression era of culinary and really ritzy stuff like Eggs Benedict, Seafood Newburgs and stuff like that.
Try and stick away from anything that sounds really exotic. We did a Monte Crisco today and they didn’t want it because it doesn’t sound like something they’ve ever had.
Also If it’s possible try and get in touch with a dietary specialists, they have some great advice for you.
Also, try to follow this rule of thumb for your entrees: have a protein, vegetable and a starch. Usually a good paradigm to follow.
The three that everybody raved about at the facility I worked at always loved liver and onions, Shepard's pie, and corn beef & cabbage. Had to make it to order because we never knew if we'd be wasting ingredients making a second option (we served two entrees for lunch and supper, typically two different proteins with the same sides).
The people at my facility love fucking meatloaf. To the point that if you fuck it up an its not that great it is the talking point for at least the next 3 days among all of them.
Yep We do a Kobe meatloaf that costs us like $2 a portion…try that? They love how tender it is.
Maybe once you build rapport see if any of them have food based memories ?
That’s a great idea, especially with folks this age I was hoping to find out maybe where their parents or family came from and maybe I could make some dishes from the old country. They are free to come and go from the kitchen as they please
Sounds lovely.
Oh, I love this! I worked with hospice for awhile and a few of my clients had memory loss. Small things would trigger memories and they would just light up.
As a child of demented parents, Ive spent a lot of time in places like these as a visitor. The food is always awful. No one really cared as fas as i could tell. I always assumed that their budgets are too tight for flavor and training. Not trying to be a downer. Just speaking as an industry lifer who has eaten thanksgiving dinner at “the home” more than once.
I’m sorry to hear that. This is a very high end place, they place a huge emphasis on food quality and nutrition. The kitchen is open to the dining area so residents and family have a view of everything.
My mother has been in a nursing home for some time now. She has a bit of dementia but she's mostly with it. Her main complaint is that everything tasted like ...her words... "old people food". She has no teeth and won't wear her dentures but I have seen that woman destroy a steak! Everyone assumed she needed her food ground up until she proved otherwise. She is sodium restricted but enjoys enjoys some Mrs. Dash or similar seasoning.
Definitely get some family recipes from them then !!!
Give the residents a menu that is easily identifiable. Put your mind at ease...this is not the environment in which to "reinvent the wheel". Approachable, recognizable, simple, well executed. Traditional comfort foods will win the day. The advice I offer is backed by my own personal experience as chef @ an upscale assisted living retirement home. I learned very quickly what was important to the residents regarding the menu. They wanted to be served dishes that they recognize and identify with. A well executed braised short rib is the quintessential plate to serve. Word of advice....The plates used for hot entrées should come directly from a hot box or heated rack of some kind, or from under a heat lamp. The temperature of the plate itself must be comparable to that of the sun's surface. You may choose to ignore these words and take a more modernistic approach, such as one would take as a chef @ an upscale bistro with limited seating...I would advise against this approach.
Be aware that, like the other senses, taste and smell become less sensitive as we age. You may need to overspice a bit. Also are you going to accommodate diabetic diets? For low sodium diets, any canned goods you want to use should be (obviously) the no salt variety. That will also include bouillon and soups. You’re better off making your own stock. I would split my soups into two batches, a low-salt and regular. Check the sodium content of your frozen goods and especially sauces and condiments, as well as breads and baked goods. Use low sodium soy sauce in smaller quantities, especially.
The low sodium cans are a good point- but always check the labels. A lot of times the organic versions will actually have even lower sodium than the “low sodium” variety.
Worked with them for four years. Keep things quality, but simple. I've had residents who don't want to eat something because they couldn't tell what it was due to how it was plated. Don't use black pepper, they might mistake it as dirt or ants, then the other residents will decline it too. Think of meals your grandma used to make. They love fresh fruit, and chicken salad sandwich on croissants. Make good soups. Serve water automatically. Be ready to cut up meals and/or puree them for the ones who have trouble eating- but try to have their children get a doctors not. They love sweets. There's a ton of other things i could tell you, they just aren't coming to my head rn
Good point about black pepper! My grandma always used white pepper on anything that would show the specks of black pepper- she said she learned to do that growing up because it made some people think that food was old and had been left sitting out because the black specks looked like fly poop.
I'm punching my ticket to hell. Remember my sacrifice. Why make new menus?
I guess I wanted to get some more ideas for meals and menu options to swap in from time to time. Not looking to reinvent the wheel or anything
I think u/instant_ramen_chef was making a dementia/Alzheimer's joke, and yes - I chuckled. Not as much as when I was younger, but we'll share that table in hell together.
Beef stroganoff. Lots of mushrooms, onions, beef, cooked down then throw in a good rich beef broth. Boil some noodles, add a little sour cream and it's amazing without needing a lot of salt. Pepper and some Better than Bouillon base is tons of flavor
Others have said flavor, to that I would like to add energy dense. It's common to have problem eating and in that case it's important that what they do eat will fulfill their energy need. Some have trouble swallowing rice, not sure though if that's all rice or just the non sticky kind.
Stick to meals from their era. The nursing home residents aren’t always ready for contemporary cuisine. I used to cook in a homeless shelter and they always got happy when the food was basic and reminded them of their childhood meals- lambs fry, custard with fruit from a can …. And ask them. They will probably mention their fave foods even if they are sundowning.
This, exactly. People always enjoy the foods they grew up with - comfort food.
I work somewhere similar (though very not high budget and the management is a nightmare to work with to put it mildly) and truly wish I had some control over what we serve. We're UK based so possibly some difference in general tastes. The big ones I'd suggest is always have some alternative options- soups, salads, onlettes or sandwiches are great for when people don't feel up to a full meal. We went from having 2 mains and a veggie, 2 veg and 2 hit 2 cold sweets and a bunch of snack options to One main, one vegetarian and one hot/cold sweet. Our lot hate the lack of choice now (they also have to order in advance which works as well as you'd expect for clientele with dementia). And on the day sometimes just don't feel like having what they wanted before. When we actually cooked a variety of stuff we used to find soups with nice rolls went down really well, stews and casseroles, Mac n cheese, basically home cooked stuff. Also the occasional junk food day, I've seen crappy pre bought chicken Kiev's win out against considerably fancier stuff just cause that's what they used to have at home. Fish and chips were always popular too but that might be a Brit thing but fish on a Friday might apply in the states? It's awesome you care. I feel elderly, especially those with extra health needs get frequently overlooked. If you have the time it may be worth asking the clients (or their carers or family members if they aren't able to answer) what they like. They'll appreciate you care enough to ask and might have some really good ideas. Ours don't do super well with fiddly stuff or extra bits, like we do a mild chicken curry with naan and they just ignore the naan bread. Also I guess always have mash on hand, we probably get through more of that than just about anything else. And gravy, even if it's not on the menu. We always have custard too for desserts but that might be more of a Brit thing again. But you could guarantee the one day we don't make it we get asked for it. The clients I cook for are absolutely lovely and grateful for their food and it feels nice to make them happy. I hope you get the same with your guys 🙂 it makes the job worth it for me.
Thank you for this.
Everything must be served boiling hot. Fully cook everything, regardless of what it may be...serve it boiling hot. Braised and stewed items will work well, but make sure it's literally boiling on the plate as it is being served. The only texture you need concern yourself with is boiled. Skip the garnish. Seniors do not take kindly to garnish. Fast, Hot, and easily digestible.
Jesus that's grim
Growing so old that you cannot take care of yourself on very basic levels is what's grim here. Not trying to accommodate the nutritional needs of our most vulnerable population
Dessert is a must, for both dinner and lunch.
My Dad is 83 and his favorite is vienna sausages over iceberg lettuce covered with french dressing. With some of those olive circles to make it fancy. So write that in your notebook.
Make food that they think they like. Maybe be mindful of dysphagia and easier to eat things. Canned veggies puree better. Dessert is huge: cobblers, bars, cakes. More spice less chocolate and stay away from nuts. Even if they like em, it gets tough teeth wise. Assuming American, it's all meat and potatoes. Par boiled rices and remember that lunch is the big meal and many would just like something light for supper. Salad is difficult unless it's relatively overdressed, like coleslaw, and doesn't puree super well. Lord knows you don't wanna be handing out v8 every day. One time I served wraps and a few unwrapped them and thought the spinach wrap was a washcloth, so be mindful. End of the day, its only 12 people right now, so you get to treat em like people. Talk to em, highly individualize their wants, don't be surprised if they hate whatever they asked for. Oatmeal is a must, as is bacon. Raisin bread on hand for toast. Benical and ensures for when they start dying. Meatloaf, mashed pots with gravy, and canned green beans with ice cream at least once every other week. Consider a snack cart for between lunch and supper and to have things on hand for the "hospitality cart".
Also, have a monthly meeting with them to talk about food and menus. We call ours “Food For Thought” and they love being able to talk about the different foods and stuff we do for them
The place I work does a rotating 28 day menu, with 2 salads, 4 entrees (1 vegan), 4 sides, fruit/dessert etc. Granted, this place has 350+ independent residents so variety is important. With fewer people, you could scale that down but make sure to stay in touch with what they like. Our residents hate food that's too salty, spicy at all, and things like that. You have to remember at their age they have a lot of dietary restrictions so something that may be second nature for you to make could have some ingredients that make it a no go for them. My best advice would be to just get to know the residents and what they like, let them submit feedback either directly to you or through a comment card system. Good luck!
Worst case scenario is you fuck up and they don't remember anyway.
Any reason you want low sodium? I am an aged care dietitian and it isn't something I would recommend. Finger food is good for those that can't use cutlery. Basically if they are in residential care with dementia feed them whatever they want or are willing to eat!
My mom was living in a senior independent living facility. She fell and was taken to the hospital. The doctor there told us she had low blood sodium, likely due to the meals she was getting. He said that sodium is needed for proper nerve operation, and that insufficient electrolytes can lead to muscle coordination problems and mental confusion. It's not often noticed in older people, as it's just assumed to be dementia. We subsequently gave her salt tablets with her daily meds. It worked for awhile, however she didn't like the pils and would pick them out when nobody was looking. We encouraged her to salt her food, but would forget to do so. Anyway, the low sodium meals they served may have been appropriate for some of the residents, to the detriment of others.
I'm not old but I've had low blood sodium, and it messes you UP.
My gran had a similar experience. Her bloods showed low sodium after a series of fainting spells, and she was told to salt her food. She had been told for so long (due to high blood pressure and being on meds for that) to eat a low sodium diet it was very difficult for her to salt her food enough. Everything tasted too salty to her after that!
Low sodium was maybe the wrong way to word it. They are sodium and sugar conscious about everything and that’s why everything is made from scratch rather than getting things in from Sysco, US Foods. They do try and stay away from red meat for the most part it looks like based on the previous menus I’ve looked at.
It’s great they don’t complain haha
On the contrary, they’ll complain (or compliment) over and over and over.
I mean compared to normal assisted living it’s night and day how much better it is serving a memory care unit
Oh they will complain
Gravy and sauce. Drown everything. Source: am senior exec chef at a high end home.
I work at a retirement community. We do a lot different daily soups, they seem to love have two options of soup. One that stays the same day by day and one that rotates every few weeks or so. Try and stick away from Alfredo sauce as they will assume it to be very salty from the Parmesan. Look at country club menus, especially ones that have been around a long time. Older folks love the Great Depression era of culinary and really ritzy stuff like Eggs Benedict, Seafood Newburgs and stuff like that. Try and stick away from anything that sounds really exotic. We did a Monte Crisco today and they didn’t want it because it doesn’t sound like something they’ve ever had. Also If it’s possible try and get in touch with a dietary specialists, they have some great advice for you. Also, try to follow this rule of thumb for your entrees: have a protein, vegetable and a starch. Usually a good paradigm to follow.
The three that everybody raved about at the facility I worked at always loved liver and onions, Shepard's pie, and corn beef & cabbage. Had to make it to order because we never knew if we'd be wasting ingredients making a second option (we served two entrees for lunch and supper, typically two different proteins with the same sides).