Page 6 - Nourish.pdf

Diet Technician Jesheena Ramulal keeps in touch with residents about their individual food preferences and any food allergies or dietary restrictions they have. She also heads up a couple of cooking groups and creates avorful options to do her part to induce residents to eat more vegetables. Keeping residents’ meals from being boring is one of the more challenging aspects of her job, says the Master’s student in Nutrition and Food Science. She relies in part on low-sodium spices to enhance taste, and on her artistic abilities to make meals look more appetizing. She uses a variety of molds, for example, to spiff up the bland image of pureed vegetables.
A fruit ber blend is another test kitchen creation. In the consistency of apple sauce, the blend is made from peaches, prunes, raisins and orange juice. All residents with bowel irregularities receive it three times a week. With it chronic constipation, a common af iction for those on anti- psychotic and anti-depressant medications, is virtually eliminated.
Opportunities to eat wholesome food are so pervasive that junk food is often passed over. Formerly, many residents in the secure area of the facility constantly smoked, drank soda or ate snacks. That is no longer such a problem, says Diamond. “By the time the goody-cart comes around, residents are already maxed out.”
“We see more involvement by residents and better outcomes related to appropriate weight loss and nutritional awareness,” he adds.
New chef brings possibilities to the table
When Idylwood’s cook of 30 years retired, they sent job announcements to culinary schools and academies for a professional chef experienced in customer service and food presentation. “We pay a good chef more than they would get in family restaurants,” notes Diamond, a veteran restaurant worker.
Several applicants responded and Idylwood hired Martín Sanchez, who has now been with the program for over a year. Along with his restaurant experience and culinary school training, Sanchez has a decade of cooking in nursing homes under his belt. “He brings a lot of new ideas to the table,” says Narasimhan.
spaghetti and meat balls. They love his stir-fry, he says.
What’s best about being a nursing home chef? “You make people happy who often are without much happiness,” says Sanchez. “It’s something you can’t describe, you know, but it’s something marvelous.”
Narasimhan and Food Service Manager Elizabeth Velazquez give Sanchez creative outlets by tapping his skills for weekly food-group activities and celebrations held throughout the year. “Last week we had a party and he made a pesto with basil from our garden – everybody loved it,” says Narasimhan.
“You want those celebrations,” says Diamond. “The more staff sees work as a positive part of their lives, the better their relationship will be with the residents. Food as celebration seems to be the link.”
So now life is moving along more smoothly at Idylwood, and it all started with Mom’s chicken soup “I used to read all this culture-change stuff on resident-centered, resident- directed care and get frustrated wondering how we were going to do it all,” says Diamond. Then he realized he and his coworkers didn’t need to be experts on everything; they just needed to pick something they already knew that would enhance the quality of life for residents and the quality of work for staff. “Food touches so many aspects of that,” he concludes.
At Idylwood, Sanchez says he feels bit constrained by residents’ dietary restrictions, but he takes great pride in the roast pork, beef and large variety of vegetable dishes that are served. Residents have lots of other alternatives to choose from like burritos, rice noodle soup, wonton soup, veggie burgers, wraps, turkey
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parmigiana and an old favorite,