Rydel Long Term Care Planning

As we age our taste in food changes; something that we hated to eat as a child, we love to eat as an adult and vice versa.  When we enter nursing homes our tastes continue to change.  Part of aging means that food will no longer hold the same appeal and our bodies begin to slowly shut down. 

Often relatives get very concerned when they visit and notice that there has been a visible weight loss with their loved one.  There may be several contributing factors and one of them is the lack of interest in food.  Even the lack of interest may be as a result of eating institutional food.  No matter how skilled the chef, the food that they are cooking has to appeal to a great many residents.  Heavily spiced food or raw vegetables and fruits may be more difficult for the general population of the nursing home to digest.  In order to accommodate every resident and their unique health requirements, the food is blander in taste and appearance.  For those residents who have problems swallowing, the food will often be pureed.