A strong care home catering team boosts social interactions and minimises malnourishment

A task force set up by the Department of Health to minimise malnutrition in older people found over 37 per cent of people over the age of 70 entering care homes are malnourished or at risk of being malnourished.

The Malnutrition Task Force described the cost of malnutrition for the NHS as running into billions of pounds and said it is depriving people of their basic human right to food and water.

One person keen to tackle malnutrition and promote healthy living is Mark Wade, head of catering at Arbory Residential Home in Andover, Hampshire.

Appointed in the role in 2013, Mr Wade has made some significant changes to the home’s menu and improved the way staff interact with residents during key mealtimes.

He said: “Arbory is a residential home entirely focused on caring for those with dementia and other associated mental health conditions and this presents its own challenges. We encourage an interest in food and drink through delicious menus and plenty of choice, while providing a healthy and balanced diet.

“We also need to be aware of serving food in a particular way, depending on care needs, for example if a resident has difficulties with chewing and swallowing. Working closely with the care team and understanding each individual’s needs is key to this. Not forgetting the importance of the social side of meal times and following a daily routine.

Malnutrition is defined as either a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5 kg/m2, an unintentional weight loss greater than 10 per cent within the last three to six months or a BMI of less than 20 kg/m2 and unintentional weight loss greater than five per cent within the last three to six months.

Dehydration issue

Dehydration can also be a massive health problem for older people. An estimated one million over 65 year olds are malnourished, caused by food and water being left out of their reach and a lack of support provided to eat and drink. Key supplements being missed out of diets have also been blamed for the high number of people who are malnourished.

Nutrition and Hydration week will be taking place in March 2015 to champion screening every resident to identify those at risk, ensuring mealtimes are ‘protected’ allowing people to safely enjoy their meals and appropriate training for staff to ensure nutritional and fluid needs of residents are met.

Neel Radia, chair, of National Association of Care Catering (NACC) which supports the awareness week said: “Nutrition & Hydration Week is shaping up to be an incredible week that will focus attention and efforts on the importance of good nutrition and hydration – a message that is relevant across the globe. By coming together in the spirit of education and sharing best practice and ideas we can create a long-term legacy that will ensure those entrusted to our care always receive the correct nutrition and hydration.”

Celebrating excellence

Another event run by NACC to raise the profile and celebrate the work being done by care home catering staff is the Care Cook of the Year competitions.

Mr Radia said: “Our sector is privileged to be represented by talented and selfless cooks that continually demonstrate best practice and push themselves and their abilities ever further to do the very best they can for the elderly they serve. I urge everyone, whether working in care homes or in community settings such as meals on wheels and luncheon clubs, to enter this prestigious competition and show the wider industry exactly what we’re made of!”

Mr Wade, head of catering at Arbory House has introduced a new menu which uses fresh ingredients to improve the health and wellbeing of the home’s residents.

He said: “Since starting at Arbory I have made a number of changes to how the kitchen is run and also to the meals we prepare. I have gradually introduced new systems and a whole new menu. From using all fresh ingredients to creating meals from scratch and preparing food in a healthy way, I’m lucky to have joined a team with such supportive management.”

“I went into being a chef as I was inspired by my granddad and find working at Arbory so rewarding. Working in a care setting I feel I have the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives. You also get to see the reaction to your creations, unlike being hidden away in a restaurant kitchen.

“It makes me very happy to be doing something practical and that’s also very creative. I love taking raw ingredients and creating inspiring dishes with them. I’m currently working on the new Spring/Summer menus which will be introduced very soon.

“I just love service. Getting to see and hear the reaction from residents and family members to the meals we’ve prepared is just amazing. The level of appreciation and comments we receive makes all the hard work worthwhile.

“One of the residents stopped me the other day to tell me how much she loved my food and how tasty it was. That still makes me smile to think of it. And in our recent CQC report a family member who was asked about meals at Arbory said "extremely good we couldn't get better, we've got a new chef and he is absolutely great." These comments just make me so proud of what we’re doing. They’re the moments I’ll never forget.”