The dining room not only provides a place for residents to receive nourishment, it’s also a place for them to gather together and be social in the home.
The importance of food and fluids
Apart from the nutritional benefits of foods and fluids, eating also provides comfort and a sense of self. Everyone has their own unique food pattern and preferences.
These patterns are built up over a life time and have been influenced by our surroundings. The menu should reflect what the residents want to eat and be made up of foods which resonate with their life experiences. Meals times should be a part of the day residents look forward to.
Importance of the dining room in residential aged care settings:
- Provides a social meeting place
- Provides a different part of the building for residents to go and use throughout the day
- Provides a place for residents to sit down and talk to others
- Provides a place for family and friends to spend time with residents and assist at meal times
- Provides a place where staff can be more interactive with all residents
- Helps to ensure that residents are eating and drinking enough food
- May provide additional support and encouragement to residents who are unable to feed themselves
Key factors of dining room design and set-up:
- Design: It is important to allow adequate space for wheelie walkers, gel chairs and beds so that residents can come into the dining room for social interaction
- Food delivery: The dining room and the food service are should be carefully considered so each system complements the other; the process of serving meals is seamless, and food is being sent out at the correct temperature
- Social compatibility: Residents should be matched so that they are compatible socially and have some common interest with the other residents sitting at the same table
- Meal timing: When serving meals, it is useful to alternate which table is served first in the meal service
- Assistance: Prior to serving a meal, residents should be set up correctly and be able to easily access their meal
- Comfort: It is important to ensure the room has adequate light and is a comfortable temperature for residents
- Supervision: It is necessary for the dining room to be supervised by staff at all times
- Independence: Each resident should have the necessary eating utensils and support that is needed to enjoy the meal as independently as possible
Five questions to consider when creating an appealing home dining environment:
- Do we ever ask our residents what they think about their home dining room and how they would like meal services to be set up?
- Take a good look at the environment: How are the tables set up? Do they look neat and tidy?
- Does the environment look inviting? Is the room cluttered? What does the decor look like?
- Would you like to eat there?
- Can you smell the food? Does the food smell good? The inviting smell of cooking creates a home-like dining room and helps to stimulate appetite. Stale odours have the opposite effect.
Some aged care homes allow residents to have their own placemats on tables, or use their own cup and saucer for their cup of tea. It is often the little personal touches that make a difference with how a resident relates to the dining room space.
Shared dining room spaces
Many aged care homes do not have a separate dining room – it may also be the lounge room and activities room all in one. Shared spaces sometimes make it difficult to define the dining room space and can lead to clutter. But it is important to define this time, by ensuring that tables are set up correctly and the shared space looks like a dining room during meal times.
Dining in the bedroom
It is important for residents who are frail and immobile to get to the dining room.
A good aim is to get residents out of their room for at least one meal each day. Imagine what it would be like to eat all your meals in the same room every day.
Being in a more social environment has health benefits and also allows staff to observe how residents are eating and drinking.
For residents who do not have a lot of family or friends who visit, the dining room provides good social stimulation. Another benefit is that friends and relatives of other residents can get to know them and include them in their visits.
If a resident does need to eat in their room due to illness or because they choose to, then try and make the bed table clear of objects and place the meal down on a placemat to distinguish that it is the dining room service.
The importance of care
The dining room service should look like there has been some care taken in preparing each meal. It is important to remember that this is the resident’s home.
Care should be taken to ensure that the tables and chairs are clean and the table is set correctly. This is the generation that sat at a table to have all their meals.
To complement the dining services, food services need to ensure that the meals are served and presented nicely on the plate so the meal is appealing.
Dining rooms should be a place where residents want to go for their meals. All staff should be striving to make meal service a highlight of the day.
Dining room services should not be considered a chore by staff – this is a necessary part of the day. Dining room services provide a key aspect of aged care as it is a time when residents get the nutrition that allows them to maintain their quality of life. For more dining room information and resources sign up for the Nutrition & Catering Global Hub Newsletters.
Dr Karen Abbey PhD
Founder of Nutrition & Catering Global Hub (www.nutritioncateringhub.com.au)
Foodservice Dietitian (nacc@live.com.au)
Church Resources Foodservice Ambassador
Lecturer University of Queensland Masters Nutrition Sciences (Foodservice Program)
