HOW TO TELL IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH

Making sure that your relative eats well is easy if they are looked after by a live-in carer in their own home. You – and your relative if appropriate – simply discuss what you’d like on the menu with the carer. Carers make recommendations for good nutrition and, when required, can be responsible for all the shopping and cooking. Our clients benefit from three healthy meals a day, prepared by their live-in carer and even on those occasions when a client isn’t that interested in food, the carer is there to encourage eating – person-centred care at its best.

There are plenty of resources available to figure out the best food sources for older people; last month we issued a blog post about how opting for a Mediterranean diet could result in a longer and healthier lifetime. In case you missed it – click here to catch up. However, if you have decided to opt for residential care, it is difficult to evaluate exactly how high the standard of food is in each setting. Good nutrition is vital for health, emotional wellbeing and to avoid the onset of other medical conditions, so, naturally, it should be high on your check list when you are considering the most suitable home.

Dementia Care Matters, a leading global dementia care culture change organisation recently drew attention to the importance of quality care at mealtimes. They published a comprehensive list of points that you should consider when evaluating care homes:

• Meals should include strong flavours and be made using herbs and spices, both of which encourage a healthy appetite. Each plate should be made up of foods with bright, contrasting colours.
• Two choices of meal should always be provided and shown to residents so that they can select which they prefer.
• When you are visiting, consider how the atmosphere in the dining room comes across to residents. Do they have music playing during mealtimes? Is there pleasant lighting? Has thought gone into the seating arrangements?
• Themed events such as a special Christmas or Valentine’s meal should be happening on a regular basis, in order to break up routine.
• Finger foods should be available for those who struggle with fine motor skills.
• Eating abilities should be assessed on a regular basis to spot any patients who are struggling to use a knife and fork effectively, see their food, or make choices.
• Carers should be encouraging residents to drink regularly, including lifting the cup for them if this help is needed, and regularly refilling glasses.
• Care homes can encourage a good appetite by providing access to fresh air and exercise, or even just pleasant cooking smells before a meal.
• In really good care homes, staff will record the favourite foods of each resident and ensure that they get extra food at that mealtime, to make up for reduced appetite on other days. They also make sure that people who find it difficult to feed themselves get longer to eat and that portion size is matched to the individual to prevent overeating or overwhelm.
• Nutritious snacks should be made available in the lounges and served along with a milky drink before bedtime.

It’s really important not to underestimate the value of ensuring that someone is presented with and encouraged to eat a healthy diet. You may well be finding the consideration of all these tiny details overwhelming. We can help. If you’d like further information about live-in care as an alternative to residential, to find out how it works and how we choose our carers, just call the Otus team on 01403 710119 for a no obligation chat or visit our website www.otusliveincare.co.uk.