Conner-Williams Nursing Home Keeps Residents Eating with its Recipe for Success

Editor's Note: This article, written by Jill Gilbert, originally appeared as "A Recipe for Your Success" in McKnight's Long Term Care News March 2008 edition.

Dinner dates, family picnics, summer barbecues, Sunday brunch — let's face it: Food brings so much pleasure that we plan entire events around it. That feeling shouldn’t end once you move into a nursing home. Food Service Director Deborah Hearn of Conner-Williams Nursing Home in Ridley Park, PA, agrees — wholeheartily!

Just like home

With a smorgasbord of food items and a standard menu, plus daily alternatives, Conner-Williams’ kitchen is more reminiscent of a fancy restaurant than a nursing facility. Hearn knows what any good chef will tell you: Food is one of the things that can make a person feel most at home. Upon a new resident's move-in, the family consults not only the director of the facility, but Hearn, as well. She reviews the menu item-byitem to determine the new resident's likes and dislikes and plans for special dietary needs, following doctors' orders, of course. "We try to incorporate variety," she says. "We want to show them we care."

Make a wish

Hearn says the kitchen staff does their best to accommodate special requests. If a resident has a hankering for French toast, the staff will try to make sure they get it, even if it’s not on the menu. And while many nursing homes charge a fee to discourage residents from eating in their rooms, Conner-Williams offers residents that option (with no fee), so they won’t miss their favorite television programs. Of course, the staff encourages regular socialization with activities and most meals.

Although the activities department already holds monthly birthday celebrations, Hearn is planning to institute a program where residents would receive a personal birthday menu, and to choose what they want to eat on their special day.

Cooking for health

Hearn, a catering and food service veteran, also plans to teach the cooking staff to make homemade soups and sauces (such as spaghetti), with a focus on making dishes more healthful than prepared foods, using less salt.

Read Conner-Williams Nursing Home Helps Residents with Proper Nutrition

Posted in: McKnight's Long Term Care Columns

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