Considerations When Offering Senior Care Dining Times

Dining plays a key role in senior care residents’ lives. Not only are meals essential to health and wellness, they also provide a valuable socialization and connection opportunity for residents. So, it’s important for senior care communities to explore senior care dining times that work well for residents’ preferences and schedules. In this article, dining experts share their advice to help senior care communities establish ideal dining arrangements.

Current Dining Time Trends

Lindsay Scaringella, registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist at CareOne

Lindsay Scaringella, registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist at CareOne, explains that while every senior care community is different, most facilities’ dining schedules revolve around a breakfast, lunch, and dinner schedule, with snacks available in between. She notes that having a variety of snacks and ready-prepared foods, like sandwiches, available helps to make residents feel happier and more at home. “Everyone’s hunger cues are different, so it is important that the facility tailors best to meet their needs,” she says.

Additionally, some communities offer all-day dining options. Late-night dining is another common offering that adds flexibility to residents’ mealtimes.

Sherie Nelson, MBA, RDN, is the director of wellness at Elior North America, parent company of Cura Hospitality, a senior dining hospitality services provider. Nelson explains that some communities offer brunch, usually served in the late morning to early afternoon. “Because brunch offers a blend of breakfast and lunch items, it may cater to varied tastes,” she says. “It appeals to residents who may enjoy a leisurely start to the day and may create a more relaxed and social environment for dining.”

Tim Boman, culinary services director at Monarch Communities, explains that interactive and themed dining experiences are also popular. Some of the Monarch Communities locations offer interactive cooking stations, chef’s tables with demonstrations, extended hours of Sunday brunch, and themed dining, such as summer clam bakes, picnics, and weekly BBQ. These experiences can help make dining more engaging for residents.

“In addition to traditional dining many of our communities feature on-site cafes, bistro, and pub outlets,” says Boman. “These provide more casual alternative options for residents and families to enjoy a lighter menu throughout the day.”

Such a variety of dining options gives residents a chance to enjoy a range of cuisines and dining experiences, which helps prevent meal monotony and caters to different tastes and preferences. “They enhance quality of life,” Boman explains. “It also appeals to prospective residents by showcasing excitement and variety to the resident’s daily routine.”

Common Challenges Around Different Dining Times and Options

Sherie Nelson, MBA, RDN, director of wellness at Elior North America

Scaringella explains that all-day dining, which often features a variety of different foods that residents can access 24/7, may seem ideal, but it can lead to lots of food waste. “Another struggle is ensuring foods are held at the correct eating temperatures to prevent food-borne diseases,” she says. As a result, all-day dining can be the most expensive option for communities.

She notes that late-night dining can be ideal for residents who typically eat later. “This also can be beneficial for nursing, as the kitchen is open later and food service staff can assist with meals and snacks,” says Scaringella. “However, it is important to note that most elderly residents typically like to have an earlier dinner.”

Nelson explains that finding staff willing to work late hours may be a challenge for offering late-night dining. “It may become underutilized if few residents take advantage of it and may be more of a challenge to ensure a safe environment for residents and staff during late hours,” she says of the practice.

Brunch can provide an opportunity to plan an “outing” in the dining room and get creative with activities that staff plan. “This is something residents can look forward to and can make this a social hour to eat with friends or family,” Scaringella says. She notes that while brunch might not be in the budget for some facilities, she encourages communities to look for ways to cut costs so that these fun specialty dining options can be offered.

Additionally, Nelson notes that coordinating brunch around other scheduled activities may be tricky. Brunch may not suit all residents, especially early risers. “Balancing the kitchen’s workload between brunch and other meal preparations needs to be considered,” she explains.

How to Identify Dining Options That Work Best for Residents

Boman recommends that senior care communities survey their residents to better understand their desired mealtimes. Mealtimes should also be scheduled to avoid conflicts with medication schedules. “We focus on promoting social interaction to reduce loneliness,” he says. “We always are willing to adjust mealtimes based on changing needs, physical and cognitive impairments to allow sufficient time for residents who may need more time to eat.”

It’s important to also consider the facility’s population when exploring dining time options. Elderly residents typically like to have an earlier dinner. “It is important to make sure mealtimes and activities do not overlap,” she says. “A resident should never have to choose between eating their meal or going to play bingo.”

Nelson suggests that communities consider whether the current kitchen and dining facilities can support extended or flexible dining hours. It’s also essential to ensure adequate staffing and training to maintain a high quality of service and food.

Once mealtimes are established, be sure to develop strategies to monitor how the schedule works for residents. Monarch Communities has organized focus groups and resident dining committees to gather feedback. Boman recommends including family members in discussions about their loved ones, especially for residents with cognitive issues. Monarch Communities includes the staff to help monitor resident satisfaction, and conducts regular survey and suggestion boxes to collect ongoing input. “Monitor resident participation and attendance, personality changes, and food consumption,” says Boman.

Food waste can be a key factor when monitoring how well a community’s dining hours are working. “More food waste could mean that residents are not hungry around the time meals are served,” Scaringella says. She also encourages communities to ask residents about their eating habits at home, including the times at which they eat, whether they’re big snackers, and what types of snacks they would like to see.

Nelson encourages communities to monitor resident health indicators that may be influenced by dietary patterns, too. For example, changes in weight, body mass index, vitamin deficiencies, and labs like cholesterol, C-reactive-protein- and albumin or prealbumin may signify whether or not the dining offerings are working for residents.

She also suggests that senior care communities implement additional practices to maximize dining quality and ensure that meals are meeting resident nutritional needs. “Offering personalized meal plans with the help of a registered dietitian nutritionist can further cater to individual preferences and health needs,” she says.

Communities can also use technology for ordering, collecting feedback, and monitoring resident dietary intake. Nelson suggests that communities incorporate themed dining events to enhance the dining experience and foster engagement, and offer frequent specials or promotions to help break the monotony of a static menu or menu cycle.

Finding the right dining times and offerings can take some experimentation, and it’s important to continue to gather feedback and be willing to adjust the schedules as needed. It’s well worth the effort, though, since creating an ideal dining schedule can help residents to feel comfortable and understood, and can make it easier for them to fully enjoy their meals.

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.