Cooking for the elderly?

Question

After 33 years of working in 4-star hotels & restaurant, I now find myself working in a care home for the elderly. What I need to know is how to adapt to this different style of cooking. Are there any websites that i should visit for advice and ideas. In particular, i would like to learn how to present 'pureed & liquidised' foods to make them more appealing to the eye. Online training would be great.

My new 'customers' deserve the best!


Dougie.

Answer 1

This type of cooking falls under institutional and is quite different from what you have done.

I do not know of one website for this type of cooking, but I'll help, if I can.

Your biggest asset, at least right now, will be the Registered Dietician or Nutritionist there at the residence. This person will be able to let you know regarding the persons with diabetes or other special needs.

Presentation will be difficult as most of these Skilled Nursing Facilities are on a limited budget. And, presentation is difficult for pureed or liquified foods as these folks have problems chewing and swallowing, so you wouldn't want to present with solid food. Let me suggest this, try presentation with piping of a food with a different color that will taste good along with your other pureed food. For the liquified, I couldn't even begin to suggest something.

It is very admirable that you feel that these Seniors deserve the best. You're one of the few that feel this way. I salute you for your tenacity.

If there's anything else I can help with, e-mail and I will try to help.

Answer 2

As others have suggested, failing eyesight could make it complicated to study the somewhat effective print on some applications. i've got resorted to protecting a magnifying glass interior the junk drawer. My arthritis motives some issues. I somewhat have arthritis interior the backbone so status for an prolonged time in simple terms isn't an decision. Now I somewhat have an previous place of work chair (rolls right) and a good folding table (television tray length). i'm able to take a seat and positioned my reducing board on the little table and chop away. thankfully we're not cooking large quantities anymore by using fact there is not any way i ought to boost an entire inventory pot any extra. We those days did a mini-makeover on our kitchen and that i've got some thing i've got been desiring for 25 years. We replaced some elementary cabinets - each and everything gets shoved interior the lower back and you would be able to't get down there to make certain what you have, no longer to point pull it out. Now, we've deep drawers for our baking and cooking pots and pans. the absolute ultimate difficulty we ever did to our abode.

Answer 3

I'm so glad to hear of a chef who's working to make some
infirmed lives, a little better. My husband was in a facility to
recooperate from surgery on his knee. And the first thing he
complained about, was the food being delivered cold to him.
Another time the eggs wern't done well enough and in general
the food was worse than bland. Since he wasn't on a restricted diet, he should have had the 'whole nine yards'.
I once worked in a nursing home and at that time, those
on restricted diets had the salt and butter removed from their
trays. But otherwise they ate the same prepared foods daily.
I also ate from that same menu and enjoyed the flavor.
I realize that diets are more stringent today than when I was
working in the nursing home, and more so, since I had a recent hospital stay. I would like to suggest making for those
who have minimal chewing ability, to make them a protein
drink once a day. In the form of an egg nog, or a fruit drink
with protein powder or a raw egg whipped first, and then
adding milk, vanilla and sweetner. That was how my mother
got me to eat an egg when I was little.
The protein drink can be made to really be flavorful and nu-
tritious as well. You use a cup of milk, add to that fruit by the
tablespoon as desired. I suggest sliced peaches. Add some
vanilla, and a scoop of protein powder or the egg,and some
ice cubes and then whip on a high setting til it's frothy. Have
that served soon so it keeps the bubbles and appearance.
You can add a straw for appearance, like they are getting
a soda with ice cream instead of a high protein drink. Years
ago, when my hubby was in the spa business, the juice bar
always had this drink on the bar menu. We made them at
home and enjoyed them as a substitute for breakfast.
I would puree as much as possible for those who can't
chew meals. Or chop in miniscule pieces in a food blender
meat they need and enjoy the tastes of. We have a little
electric food chopper that we use to dice small and it's a
time saver.
Being it's winter weather starting, you can get away with
serving soup and crackers more often. But use blended
meat for high protein content. And maybe using a slice of warmed garlic bread or just sliced French bread with butter for those who can have it. And some type of spread for those
who can't.
I know you will have to abide by alot of health restraints in
your diet meals, and I hope you can soon adapt and feel
comfortable. I imagine it will be a major transition cooking for
people whos' diets are salt and sugar restricted. But if you get some library books on healthy diets, you will find it
fairly easy to find adequate cook books to help you along.
Bon appetite!

Answer 4

Although I am only 76 I am fortunate enough to be able to cook for myself and my wife. My last six meals have been roast chicken, Cornish pasty , steak and kidney pie, Gammon steak with fried egg, lamb chops, roast beef and sirloin steak. These were served with vegetables and either roast potatoes, saute potatoes,chips, baked or croquette potatoes. I even had mashed potatoes once! No meals were ready made and all vegetables were fresh.
It made me feel quite ill when I read about a chef preparing slops and purees for the care home inmates. I suggest that Dougie carries on producing the meals that he would have prepared for the customers in the four star hotels and restaurants and he will get along just fine. Of course, if any residents have specific dietary requirements, the staff would tell him in advance.
The problem is that he will probably be given a budget of about 50p per day per resident and be expected to feed them from that.
I was reminded of the film starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas about two ex-cons who were consigned to an old peoples home. They rebelled against the food they were given saying that they wanted real food. Steaks not slops.
Perhaps it should not be forgotten that we wrinklies are not beings who should be treated any differently, we are simply ordinary people, like many of you out there, who have simply grown old. As many of you will do. To treat us any differently is an insult.
I hate it when people talk to me as though I am a five year old and am going ga-ga. From reading the questions and responses to many of the Yahoo questions I can guarantee that many of us "old folk" are more intelligent than many of the correspondents. AND WE CAN SPELL WITHOUT A SPELL CHECK!

Answer 5

Don't make the portions too large - unless you know that they're a good eater. Large portions put them off and they'll often reject a plate of dinner just because there's too much. Elderly people often have poor appetites.

If you're making a liquidised meal you generally liquidise all the things seperately then put them onto seperate areas of the plate - rather than in one brown, gooey mess.

They seem to like cooked breakfasts - scrambled eggs and bacon etc.

I'm sorry, but I don't know of any websites for you.

Good Luck with your new job.

Answer 6

Dougie hello, I don't actually have an answer for you. I just wanted to say how lovely your question is. When I first went back to work after my children started school, I worked in an old peoples home for a couple of years. I might add that they used me as a cook sometimes when the cook was away. They didn't really care about the food, and it used to upset me.

YOU HOWEVER are lovely.

Answer 7

Sorry Dougie I don't know any website but I wanted to commend you very much for your attitude.
How lovely that even tho you are no longer in a 4 star hotel you are still thinking of how best to present your skills to your 'customers'.
What a caring attitude!!! I'm impressed that you don't want to just slop food on the residents plates but that you want to give them the best. My Mum is in a nursing home and I hope their cooks/chefs have the same attitude.
GOOD ON YOU!!!

Answer 8

Can you drop a hint where you are - I'll make a booking!
As a retired Care Manager, I was appalled at the sight of some of the plated food I saw served to older people in Retirement and Nursing Homes.
I don't know of any websites I'm afraid, but people like Wiltshire Farm Foods seem to go a good way towards more appetising presentation of bulk produced foods - you could have a look at their brochure. My cousin (aged 102) seems to enjoy them; she is also a great fan of M & S individual salads which she has taken in by family.
Colour, and not too much on a plate (but availability of some second helpings) seem to be most preferred.

Answer 9

I commend you for caring! The folks at your new job are lucky to have you.

While I can't help with specific recipes, I have spent a lot of time visiting at assisted living and nursing home facilities, and have helped relatives at meal times.

I'm sure you are talented and the food you prepare is delicious, but get ready for complaints. Of all the adjustments folks make when they move into facilities like these, getting used to new or different food can be difficult. One relative I would visit complained vehemently to me about the food. I became concerned and made a point to visit at dinner time. What she described as "garbage" turned out to be quite tasty, creative and nicely presented! It simply wasn't her home cooking... Enticing her to eat was a constant challenge.

When the same relative lost the ability to chew most food, the chef prepared many pureed meals for her... and you're right... it's difficult to make them look appealing. Most appeared to be just a puddle of gray matter on the plate.

The only suggestion I can make is to disguise them as soup. A bowl would be preferable than a plate, and if you have the resources something like a bread-bowl would probably look nice. Add a nice garnish and a dollop of sour cream in the center (if appropriate) and at least it looks like something edible. ;-)

Best of luck in your new surroundings and thank you for caring.

peace

.

Answer 10

I admire your interest in the elderly dietary requirements. May i suggest the following dishes:
Bacon roly poly
Steak and ale pie
Traditional roast always goes down well
Apple Crumble & custard
fish and chips with mushy peas

For puree foods you could serve
Shepards Pie
Fish pie
As you are concerned with presentation i understand you can buy moulds. You can buy them from a manufacturer which makes thick and easy!
I hope this helps