Consumer Directed Care –
Foodservices potential and
opportunities to consider
Karen Abbey
Foodservice Aged Care Specialist Dietitian
Nutrition and Catering Consultancy
Todays presentation
• Consumer directed care (resident)
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Community focussed – expectations – aged care
• Meeting expectations of residents
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Family and friends
• Frailer population
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Care needs – juggle to balance
• Foodservices
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What is can provide within finite resources
• Menu planning
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What can be achieved when catering for a group
• Dining rooms
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Services and creating a home environment
Consumer Directed Care
• Developing model
• Community expectations will continue to
increased and the desire to maintain level
of service control will be transposed into
the residential age care sector
• People coming into care are more
information aware and this is where
increase service expectations will be
driven from
• Choice and Flexibility Foodservices
Meeting the expectations
Government increasing services
into the community - occupancy
of aged care homes is changing
Higher care level but
still wanting choice
and flexibility
Expectation of family,
friends to maintain
service levels - buy in
Menu in aged care is a key selling
point
Food is individualised and is one of
the controlling factors for
residents/family/friends
Do more with less – resources
Aged Care Home
Primary goal
Aged Care Std
Food Safety
Nourishment
and hydration
Quality of life
Menus and food in aged
care is experiencing more
awareness and the standard
being raised
Challenge’s in the home
• Complexity of residents
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Multiple health issues
Increase needs and behaviour
Residents that cannot communicate
Shorter length of stay
Full assistance – high care needs
• Meeting compliance with expected outcomes
– Time consuming and you need good systems
– Detracts from resident care
• Providing more choice and flexibility
– How far can a foodservice system stretch to meet the needs
of all residents every day
– Is it feasible – what is realistic?
– Manage the risk for food safety in providing choice and
flexibility
Foodservices
Choice - the type of services foodservices will provide and
how residents can engage in their food supply
Flexibility - on the types of services offered how and when
How does foodservices support these two concepts
• Menu
• Meal delivery system
• Dining room services
Menu
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Menu underpins all foodservice operations
Menu flexibility is defined by your menu
pattern in choice offered in the day
• Providing enough variety
• How often a menu is changed
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Seasonality
Resident involvement
• Often the menu for a resident is the sole source of
nutrition -variety, yummy foods, with some change
• Meeting the needs of individual residents
• Multicultural menu planning aspects
Menu pattern
• What suites individual facilities
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Residents are very happy with one choice or
don’t what to make choices or want more
choices
• Meeting the 200,000’s food
preferences/like and dislikes
• Using the menu to create excitement
and fun
Multicultural menu planning
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This is tricky to meet the expectations of all residents
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Often residents will try to adjust to new foods
May stop eating
Feel socially displaced
Menu solutions
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Ready made meals (frozen)
Multi option menu – using stables to enhance the menu pattern
Cook-freeze technology to make extra meals and put aside
Substituting with meal alternatives when the menu is unable to
accommodate food preferences
Other resident may find the different meals appealing and want to try
Goal of any facility (foodservices) getting food into our residents
Ready made meals/meal components
Meal presentation
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Height adds a sense of style
Colour combination
Texture modified meals
Showing the care and detail
Garnishing
Individual portions
Menu choice
• This is essential for quality of life and care
• Everyone like to have some control over the
foods eaten
• Food choice has been linked to better food
intake
• Menu choice close to point of service is ideal
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Resident often forget what
they order
Or see what another resident
has and changes their mind
Reduces the time taken to
collate orders by foodservices
Meal services – point of service
Portion size (meal size)
Flexibility to change food options
Forecasting models
Seconds
• Tray service detract from this as they
reduce the flexibility and choice
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Find way to increase choice and flexibility with this
service model
Foodservices – meal delivery
systems
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Buffet style
Room service model – breakfast cart
Cafeteria type services – texture modified meal
Choice options on the table for meal and mid-meal snacks
• Adds engagement, choice and surprise to your menu
Dining rooms
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Meal service design
Nicely set up dining rooms
Staggered meal services
Extended meal service time
• Adequate nutrition
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Amount of time residents are spending in their rooms
Service designs are fine so long as residents are
eating and drinking enough food and fluids
Managing expectations
• Resident suggestions and trends
• Look at current service design
• If you want to change services
what system need to be changed – best outcomes (resources)
• The market influences service design and we see this is already starting to occur –
extra services
• The menu and foodservices forms one of the most important aspects to a home and
therefore it is a primary piece to consider
• Design of buildings and services is a major factor to consider
• The most important questions to ask is what kind of services do you want residents
to have?
• Creates the profile for design around residents
– Meet their nutritional needs
– Quality aspects of foodservices
– Meal environment enhances quality of life
Opportunity
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There is so much to gain from a proactive and responsive
foodservices
This is a challenge and requires the will of the organisation
to change from institutional models – find the space,
resources and time
Change service models to create the space to expand on
the possibilities, create efficiency which can open up
resources to allow for modifications in the future
Use technology to assist – work smarter and manage
information easier to enhance care
To offer choice and flexibility may be as simple as
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Meal cart to offer soups with hot bread rolls, different sandwiches, desserts
Placing a plate of food in the centre of a table – sandwiches choices
Having different choice options for mid-meal snacks
Responsive menu information system
Efficient way to deliver meals to residents
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Making foodservices homely and engaging
Contact details
Invited to join Nutrition and Catering Global subscribe www.nutcat.com.au
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Foodservice consultant
Training and workshop
Menu planning/review and support services
Foodservice Industry Consultant
Karen Abbey
Foodservice and Aged Care Specialist Dietitian
0417 608 206
nacc@live.com.au
www.nutcat.com.au