When you're busy evaluating the amenities in advance of selecting an assisted living home for yourself or for an elderly family member, you should give careful consideration to the food. In fact, you might wish to visit the home for one or more meals, as doing so can help you to evaluate many factors related to the home's dining experience. Food quality is a big thing, so you'll want to assess how fresh the food tastes, the variety of items on the menu at each meal, and more. Here are some other food-related elements to consider before you choose your assisted living home:
Service Vs. Self-Serve
It's ideal if the assisted living home you choose offers service at mealtime. This means that the dining room is arranged so that servers can circulate throughout the room, take peoples' orders, and bring the food to their table shortly thereafter. Some assisted living homes take a self-serve approach, giving residents the ability to dine in a cafeteria-like setting. While there's nothing wrong with this idea, many people will appreciate the comfort that comes with being served, rather than having to load up a tray and take it to their table.
Nutrition-Conscious Menus
Although some people in assisted living may not have dietary restrictions, many do. This means that it's important to find an assisted living home that offers a variety of nutrition-conscious menu items for residents. You should see menu items at each meal that are low in calories, low in sugar, and low in fat. It's also ideal if you can find an assisted living home that offers vegetarian options and gluten-free options. Think about how you eat and any dietary restrictions or choices that are relevant, and make sure that they're reflected in the facility's menu. You can also ask to see several days' worth of sample menus to thoroughly evaluate them for this purpose.
Private Eating Area
When your family visits you for a meal, you might not necessarily want to have everyone in the assisted living home's main dining area, and eating in your room won't often be suitable, either. Many assisted living homes offer one or more private dining areas that residents can use when they're hosting people for meals. You'll need to book space in the room in advance — and you may need to adjust your family's visit date if the room is occupied — but this dining-related feature will allow you and your family to enjoy a meal in private.
Contact a company like Sharon Care Center for more information and assistance.
Share24 June 2017
When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.
