{"id":4468,"date":"2023-05-05T15:21:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T13:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/electrocaloriquegroupe.com\/en\/?p=4468"},"modified":"2023-05-17T12:22:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T10:22:17","slug":"elderly-care-home-catering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/electrocaloriquegroupe.com\/en\/2023\/05\/05\/elderly-care-home-catering\/","title":{"rendered":"Elderly Care Home Catering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\u00ab 64% of elderly people in geriatric institutions have an unfavorable nutritional status \u00bb<\/strong> – RESAH (French Hospital Purchasing Group)<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

 
Nowadays, elderly people represent the largest share of activity<\/strong> in health care institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The immersion in a geriatric organization often puts the human being in the background and takes them away from their initial state as a citizen. Thus, they become first and foremost a patient<\/strong>, a resident<\/strong>, a client<\/strong> or simply an \u201celderly person<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>. This does not favorize their morale at all, although it\u2019s closely linked to catering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like in hospitals, in elderly care homes catering, the loss of desire to eat<\/strong> is a major factor in undernutrition<\/strong>. On top of that, the various pathologies that the residents may face amplify their feeding difficulties. It is estimated that undernutrition affects between 15 and 38%<\/strong> of the people living in elderly care homes. However, there appears to be no official national survey dealing with undernutrition in elderly care homes at present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elderly care home catering system shows up many issues<\/strong>, particularly with regard to managing the nutritional needs<\/strong> of each resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the factors favoring und<\/em><\/strong>ernutrition in the elderly ?<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

<\/u><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Apart from physical health problems which may be directly related to eating difficulties (digestive or swallowing disorders, oral problems, etc.)<\/em>, undernutrition can be favored by different factors. Mental health <\/strong>obviously plays an important role in the elderly care home catering. That\u2019s why residents with depression<\/strong> may be more prone to undernutrition. If they\u2019re facing loneliness<\/strong> or bereavement<\/strong>, undernutrition is also likely to arise. The same applies to the residents who have experienced a psychological<\/strong> shock<\/strong> or a recent a change<\/strong> in<\/strong> living<\/strong> conditions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to reducing food needs, the lack of physical activity<\/strong> limits the onset of hunger. Thus, residents who aren\u2019t sufficiently active have little appetite. Sometimes, it\u2019s the side effects<\/strong> of certain drugs that reduce the appetite or even change the taste of food. All these factors are obstacles to the consumption of food by elderly people in institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since they lead to a deficit <\/strong>in quality proteins<\/strong>, economic constraints <\/strong>faced by the institutions directly affect the residents\u2019 nutritional balance<\/strong>. About half of the institutions would not actually comply with the recommendations of the French Collective Catering and Nutrition Market Survey Group<\/em> (GEMRCN)<\/em> regarding the frequency of serving meat or fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some institutions, ready-to-eat products<\/strong> are often served to the residents although they\u2019re not adapted to their nutritional needs<\/strong>. The same applies to the quantity offered for certain foods. It is recommended to serve 12 raw fruits in 20 meals and at least one dairy product at each meal. These recommendations are far from being implemented in every institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we prevent undernutrition in the elderly ?<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n
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\"elderly<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The most important is obviously to ensure a balanced diet<\/strong> and sufficient hydration<\/strong> (1 to 1.5 liters of water per day)<\/em>. However, encouraging physical activity<\/strong> shouldn\u2019t be neglected. It helps to maintaining good health<\/strong> state and muscle tone<\/strong>, as well as to stimulating the appetite<\/strong>. Physical activity can be either under a classical form (walking, dancing, Adapted Physical Activity)<\/em>, or in disguised form (taking part in the activities of the residence such as gardening or even sometimes DIYs)<\/em>. Of course it must be adapted to each individual, but it is a major element both for morale and for the development of the feeling of hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, making sure the mealtime is a time of conviviality<\/strong> helps to combat social isolation<\/strong>. These are elements that can make residents want to sit down to eat again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is logical that in order to prevent undernutrition among elderly people in institutions<\/strong>, each resident\u2019s health problems must be addressed before they cause or worsen eating difficulties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A project to improve the diet of the elderly<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\nThe notion of cognitive decline<\/u><\/strong> has been developed since January 2021<\/u><\/em> by the Silver Brain Food<\/em> research project<\/strong>. Its aim is to help seniors prevent cognitive decline<\/strong> through a diet rich in nutrients<\/strong> essential for brain health<\/strong>. With a budget of \u20ac16.3 million, it is expected to run for 5 years.\n

The project officially foresees<\/u>:<\/p>\n