Meal planning for seniors and those living with health conditions such as dysphagia can be a tedious and time consuming process that can often draw your attention away from other patient and resident care needs. What nutrients are needed, what texture, and appropriate portion sizes are just a few of the many things always taken into consideration.
Ready to serve meals, like the options offered by apetito HFS, offer long-term care facilities, nursing homes, healthcare settings, and seniors living alone with easy, nutritious, and affordable meal solutions that take the work and guesswork out of meal prep.
These are just a few of the many ways ready to serve products like these can help save you and your organization both time and money, letting you better focus on other crucial aspects of patient and resident care.
Easy preparation
Preparing for mealtime can seem like a monumental task for healthcare professionals, long-term care employees, or seniors living by themselves. From portioning to menu planning, the process is no easy feat, and is even more difficult when serving a large number of people with varying needs.
Ready to serve products offer both bulk and perfectly portioned, nutritious meals for each individual's needs. Cutting, chopping, cooking, and more can all be taken out of the equation and left up to the dietitians and world class chefs that work to prepare a wide variety of menu options. Ready to serve style products arrive frozen to keep food nutritious and can simply be reheated in a microwave or oven before serving, taking anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes, as opposed to hours, of preparation.
Organizations who serve meals to larger groups (i.e. long-term care and seniors homes) can save money on in-house kitchen staff simply by implementing a ready to serve meal program using bulk or individual portion orders. With ready to serve products being easy and quick to prepare, any staff member can be trained in the process.
Take out the guesswork
While someone you’re serving may be diabetic, another may need specific texture modified foods, while someone else is vegetarian. It can be difficult to prepare a large meal that meets all those needs while remaining nutritious and appetizing for everyone.
Ready to serve products can be modified to suit individual patient and resident needs, taking out the guesswork of menu planning, while ensuring meals are served up for safe consumption by everyone.
Texture modified meals can especially be time consuming for in-house staff to prepare as they must meet certain texture standards before they can be safely eaten. Ready to serve meals can be ordered with texture modification needs stated so that patients and residents are receiving a nutritious and appetizing meal that comes pre-prepared to meet their specific texture needs.
Save money with portioning
Almost 2.2 million tonnes of food is wasted in Canada each year. That’s the equivalent of throwing $17 billion in the trash bin. Whether it’s food spoiling in the fridge or patients and residents not finishing their portions, food waste can become a costly problem to any organization or individual.
Ready to serve meals can be frozen for up to one year , meaning food is less likely to go to waste due to spoilage. The predetermined portions also provide less likelihood that food will end up in the garbage, as recommending serving guidelines are closely followed.
Maintain patient and resident health
The costs associated with caring for ill patients and residents can be an expensive endeavor, from medication to specialized transportation and a modified diet. Healthcare professionals are aware of the importance nutrition and a balanced diet plays in maintaining good health in seniors.
Ready to serve products are made with nutrition at top of mind, aiming to keep patients and residents healthy and satisfied through a balanced diet. The consistent consumption of nutritious foods can potentially prevent added stress, caregiving time, and additional costly healthcare expenses associated with deteriorating health.