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Convivium and a Dining Discussion

News
by joe angelelli
Posted on Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 08:37:30 AM EST

Last week I and a few others received an e-mail question about whether there's an "evidence base" for doing away with tray service in nursing homes.

I did a quick search of the literature online, and found an article that showed how simply portioning out food in the dining room can have a positive effect. The article didn't focus on cooking and serving the food right in the neighborhood or household -- a successful dining innovation for more and more organizations these days.

Steve Shields responded to the e-mailer's question as well, and with his permission I'm sharing his thoughts:

While Meadowlark did not go to a buffet style dining, we did convert to food prepared and served on site. What this has in common with buffet dining is that residents had the right returned to them to eat what they want when they want, which I assume would be components of your planned buffet dining lifestyle. Weight loss reduced by 92 percent in the first year and socialization dramatically improved during meals. Resident satisfaction with meals improved 67 percent.

Beyond that, it is difficult to gather data for something so elementary to our life satisfaction and quality. Its like wanting data to prove whether a dog is happier on a rope or free to roam. Somethings are just known and part of universal truth in the human condition.

Hope this helps.

Steve

< LTC Workforce Research | Finding the Measurement Angle of Repose >



Dining Discussion Somewhat Diverted--A Question (none / 0)

This is not entirely appropriate here but I can't find any where else to put it.  We are in need of specific information on  the 5-meal per day plan from someone has worked with it in operation--hopefully successfully.    Is there anyone here who has had experience with this plan and can discuss it?  We like it.  We've seen it described on the Tale Of Transition DVD.  But we're seeing some problems in a few of the homes that have recently implemented it and we don't have enough detailed information to understand why.  We'd like to compare notes to determine whether these are just initial bumps or serious problems.  And we'd like to discover whether, perhaps, someone else has had the same experiences and has already developed effective remedies.

by kate ricks on Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 08:26:50 PM EST
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