We were delighted to welcome Catherine Roe, Chief Executive of Elior UK, who popped over recently to see the company’s snacks and textured modified foods in use at the home.
One of the biggest challenges for carers is to ensure that people with dementia receive adequate nutrition each day. Many are very active and frequently lose both weight and muscle mass, especially if they have swallowing problems.
Over the last year, we have worked closely with Caterplus, Elior UK’s specialist care business, on the introduction of colour-coded serving utensils to facilitate more balanced and accurate individual portion control, and better menu formulation including a wider range of Textured Modified Food (TFM). Caterplus’ development chefs have created a variety of appetising softer and puréed meals for people who struggle to swallow. After blending the food is piped into shape and is both flavoursome and visually appealing.
Here at Mayflower, meals are supplemented by sweet and savoury snacks in containers called snack boxes. These are important for residents who prefer to eat little and often throughout the day (or night) rather than eating a full meal, and are available in TMF format, too. Since the snack boxes were introduced last year, staff at the home have seen a positive impact on mood particularly in the evenings, with residents being noticeably calmer and more settled.
During her visit, Catherine discussed the impact of the snack boxes, TMF meals and new serving utensils on residents’ health and wellbeing with Laird MacKay, our Chief Operating Officer and our home manager Nicola Bundock. She also sampled snack boxes and saw how meals were served using the portion control utensils.
Nicola said: “Food is often at the centre of people’s world and eating is a very sociable activity. Here at Mayflower we provide three meals a day and aim to eat together part of a community. Equally, we know that many of our residents struggle to sit down and eat a full meal, preferring to snack on the go. This is why the snack boxes have been such a success. People can get their nutritional requirements met each day while enjoying their food in a way and at a time that suits them, no matter what their care needs are.”
“We believe food should be a source of pleasure and wellbeing for all. Over the past 12 months our development team has been working closely with the team at Mayflower to create a diverse, nutritious and appealing menu for residents with dementia and ensure they can get the right nutrition in an enjoyable way. It’s fantastic to see the changes being enjoyed by residents and hear such positive feedback from carers on site,” said Catherine.
Nutrition is a key aspect of our dementia strategy, which is also being rolled out across Canford Healthcare’s other ten homes. The other elements include specialist training and wellbeing. The training supports the achievement of best practice and leadership in dementia care and is available to everyone from kitchen and domestic staff through to carers and nurses. This ensures continuity of practice and understanding of the challenges faced by residents each day.
To keep residents active and engaged, we (and our sister homes) offer a varied programme of activities every morning and afternoon, seven days a week. The homes work hard to ensure that each activity –within the home and day trips out – is both meaningful and enjoyable.
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