Ways To Determine If Elder Residents Are Getting Enough Nutrition Or Not
Everyday it is becoming a challenge for the aged care homes to cater for the daily nutritional requirement of elderly. However, are there any parameters based on which one can decide if the right quantity and quality of nutrition is being offered.
The aged care homes should conduct a survey and streamline the complete process of aged care. With the advent of technology, things have eased out. The automated aged care systems are a revolution in this field.
This article aims to provide you with some ways on how to determine the nutrition intake of the aged.
1. Resident Meal Satisfaction Survey
The first thing, the aged care homes can do is to get a meal satisfaction survey. Aged people have peculiar food choices and with the help of this survey, the catering team can plan the menu according to the choices stated.
2. Daily menu planning checklist
Once, the survey has been done, the focus shifts to creating a comprehensive menu keeping in mind the choices and the nutrition for each senior. A daily menu should be created after an exhaustive discussion within the hospitality team members. As each day the menu is being served, it should be ticked with a yes.
3. Monitor the need for mealtime assistance
It is very important to encourage the elderly to eat independently. With the help of a number of essential mealtime devices, the aim can be achieved. The hospitality team also need to ensure that the regular devices like spectacles, stick, coasters, napkins etc. are within the reach of the senior while having his food
4. Resident Monthly Weight Chart
This is another important point. The team should measure the weight of the aged at regular intervals. In fact, BMI can be done on a regular basis so that we know if they seniors are consuming the right nutrition and that they are not gaining excess fat in their bodies.
5. Regular malnutrition screening
Once the weight chart is maintained, the malnutrition screening will be done automatically. If there are some special cases, those need to be handled with care and with the help of these charts, the team can easily make out which of the seniors are low on their daily nutrition intake.
6. Residents from different cultures may vary in build
While conducting the survey, it is to be noted that the residents from different parts of the country will carry a different body built and their nutrition intake, weight and choices will depend upon their native habits.
All these measures will help up to a great extent to keep a check on the health of the seniors. With the help of these parameters, we can inculcate independent healthy eating habits in our seniors.
