When my husband and I tied the knot last year, we didn't want anything lavish. Both of us did the big wedding and reception thing with our first spouses. This time around, we wanted a home wedding, complete with an intimate reception in the backyard. For the reception, we chose to hire a local caterer. From the first meeting, we knew the caterer would make sure everything was perfect. She came up with a menu that allowed for the dietary needs of our varied group of friends. She designed and ordered the cake, and even took care of setting up the tables and chairs. All we had to do was show up. If you and your beloved are planning something simple at home, it pays to work with the right caterer. Let me share how we worked with ours, and why we would do it again without hesitation.
If you operate an assisted living facility, making sure that your residents are well taken care of and that their needs are met is probably very important to you. For example, you probably want to ensure that you choose the right menu so that your residents are happy with their meals. These are a few considerations that you may want to look at when planning a menu for your assisted living facility.
1. It Should Be Nutritionally Sound
First of all, you should make sure that the meals that you serve your residents are nutritionally sound. Now more than ever, your residents need to ensure that they are getting the right nutrition. For example, some seniors begin to lose their appetites as they age for various reasons; if the food that they do eat is nutritionally dense, however, you can help ensure that they are getting everything that they need.
2. It Should Taste Good
In some cases, assisted living facilities have a bad reputation. The last thing that you want your assisted living facility to feel like for your residents is a jail. One good way to make the facility much more pleasant for your residents is to ensure that you are serving delicious food. Using fresh produce and higher-quality meat can help. Also, consider adding lots of tasty seasonings and offering gravies and sauces. Then, your residents might find that their meals are that much more delicious. You may also want to consider offering a couple of different options each day; then, your residents can choose what they prefer.
3. Dietary Restrictions and Preferences Should Be Considered
In an assisted living facility, there is a good chance that you have many residents who have certain dietary restrictions and preferences. Some might have to follow a heart-healthy diet because of certain health conditions, and others might have to watch their sugar because they are diabetic. Some might abstain from eating meat or dairy products. It's important to get to know all of your residents and to make sure that their dietary restrictions, allergies and dietary preferences are all documented. Then, you can focus on providing options that they will like.
As you can see, there are a lot of things that you have to think about when planning a menu for an assisted living facility. Luckily, there are food service management companies out there that have a ton of experience in providing food in these facilities. If you hire one of these companies, you can make your job a lot easier and help ensure that your residents are happy with the food that is available for them as well.
Share8 July 2017
