The Evolution of Dining in Senior Living

From fresh and local ingredients to open seating and diets catered to the health of seniors, dining in assisted living is constantly evolving to meet the needs of today’s resident.

There was once a perception that dining in assisted living was similar to a hospital – frozen, canned and premade foods. In the years of pushing back against this perception, assisted living communities have made some great headway in sharing delicious meals and finding creative avenues to showcase their talented chefs.

So, what drives the industry to keep pushing the boundaries and setting new expectations? It’s simple: the residents. Residents in today’s assisted living community expect local, fresh, made from scratch meals and variety. Residents moving into a community understand food and expect the quality of their meals to improve once they move in.

A lot of notable shifts we’ve seen in our dining rooms focus on food and diet. We’ve also been seeing a gradual change in the timing residents like to enjoy their meals. Typically, a community would host one or two seating's for lunch and dinner. We are starting to see that residents want to come down to eat, not when it’s the scheduled mealtime, but when they are ready. Experimenting with open dining allows residents to come down for a meal or snack whenever they prefer. Choosing to eat at a time that works best for the resident may improve their quality of life. A note, open dining is a concept used with our traditional, independent living and assisted living residents, not our Avita memory care neighborhoods which thrives with more structure.

When it comes to the food centric changes we’re noticing – it’s become about more than the meat and potatoes. There is still a large population of residents who enjoy the ‘meat and potatoes’ meals, but with more and more boomers moving in, we are seeing a shift that has residents looking for healthier options on the menu. For example, 5 years ago a salad with grilled salmon would be looked at as an appetizer. Today, more and more residents are asking for entree salads with protein for their meal.

One exciting change we’ve been working toward at Northbridge is using the Mediterranean Diet. Northbridge is a partner of the Mediterranean Diet Roundtable?. The benefit of this partnership is the connections provided between our communities and food and beverage operators with public and private institutions that have a goal of bringing the transformative power of Mediterranean cuisines to their menus. The Mediterranean diet has been ranked the healthiest way to eat by US News & World Report, it only makes sense that we draw from this amazing lifestyle to improve the quality of life for our residents.

Another passion project of mine is spreading the message that senior living is a great place for talented chefs. Having worked in the restaurant industry for most of my career, I know how long the hours are and the lack of work/life balance. Working in senior living allows for better hours and the space to get creative while connecting with amazing residents. We have some amazingly talented chefs within our communities, which has only improved the quality of life for the residents we serve.

At Northbridge, we make it a priority that residents enjoy fresh, local meals that enhance their health and aid in providing the best quality of life.

Sources:

Landsverk, G. (2024, January 3). The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest in the world for the 7th year in a row. Here's why. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/mediterrean-diet-healthiest-best-overall-2024-1#:~:text=The%20Mediterranean%20diet%20has%20been,and%20focus%20on%20unprocessed%20foods.