A healthy diet and good nutrition are primary concerns for our Live-in Carers. Whilst some of our clients like to cook for themselves, others are no longer able and rely on the support of their Carer to deliver a healthy, nutritious and tasty diet.
We will use this section to bring you stories and ideas of how to keep ideas fresh in the kitchen!
Flexible Dining – A healthier option for body…and mind
The advantages of staying in your own home with a full time Live-in Carer are numerous. But one of the greatest benefits is diet control. When you are catering for just one or two, it’s far easier to introduce flexibility to both meal times and menu than when catering for 50 or 100.
Long ridiculed and often labelled a disgrace, many Care Homes are now trying to introduce an element of flexibility; moving away from regimented time slots and set menus, but can they ever really compete with the freshness and flexibility of a Live-in Carer cooking for one?
Independent Minds
Everyone knows that routine can be reassuring, especially for those with Dementia or Alzheimer’s, but that doesn’t have mean that fish is always served on Fridays (at 5pm)!
For those independently minded amongst us and our elders, we might like our fish on Tuesday at 3pm, or wrapped in newspaper with some chips at Noon on a Saturday!
With Live-in Care, there’s no need to worry about missing meal times if you’re out and about with your Carer, as you are out and about with your cook.
Care Homes try to play catch up
Diet has always been one of the biggest problems with Care Homes and Residential Institutions; quality has historically been poor. Are they trying to correct it? Yes, absolutely, but can they compete with a home cooked meal for one? No, probably not.
As Care Homes try to drag themselves into the modern era, many are tackling the issue of flexibility by opening motorway service style 24 hour restaurants. But whilst a choice of snacks, chilled dishes and microwavable meals are always available, main meals are still served at certain hours.
It has to be that way – after all Care Homes are often operating an industrial kitchen; cooking in bulk, often working to a £2.43 per person per day budget, if the national average is to be believed.
Not so in a private kitchen at home. Are you operating to a budget? Yes, absolutely, aren’t we all at the moment. The size of budget isn’t necessarily the issue, although an average of £2.43 for 3 meals a day doesn’t inspire thoughts of quality.
Looking forward to Mealtime
Sarah Peskett, a Helping Hands Live-in Care Manager has one client for whom food is a very important part of the relationship with his Carer; as Sarah explains, “For him, it’s the little things that make the difference! He likes his tea made in a certain way and loves traditional English food. His Carer makes the best Shepherd’s Pie…so I’m told.”
Flexibility is the issue; to be able to say “I fancy bangers and mash” tonight and get it – that sounds good! As long as it’s not bangers and mash every night! But while flexibility is important, a healthy balanced diet is more important, and that is never more achievable than when you have one person cooking and caring for another directly.
Whether preparing great British favourites like Shepherd’s pie or Bangers ‘n’ Mash, or lighter meals like salads, soups or jacket potatoes; a healthy balanced diet is not hard to achieve (or enforce) when you are dealing one-to-one!