We’ve been diving into discussion about how to provide a supportive environment for seniors living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease or a related type of dementia. Let’s keep the conversation going and chat a little about “The Dining Room Experience”.
Here’s some FACTS about food and eating experiences in senior living:
1. Brightly colored plates help a person distinguish where the plate is located and can visually support in delineating the plate from the placemat or tablecloth. In behavior analysis we call this Stimulus Discimination, which is when we can identify the difference between a conditioned stimulus (that which will provide reinforcement) and other stimuli. In other words- we have learned that the brightly colored plate is associated with food (yum) but the plain white tablecloth is not. So we are more likely to try and get food from the plate!
2. Food refusal isn’t always about how something tastes or about not “feeling hungry”. Think about the reasons you might refuse to eat something- maybe it’s new and you don’t know what to expect, or you don’t like how it looks or smells. Maybe the last time you ate that food, you wound up sick and have developed a food aversion to the dish. We gravitate towards the foods we know and love- those that are highly reinforcing for us. As someone ages and taste bud sensitivity declines, visual acuity becomes less clear, and memory is less accurate, we often find that seniors are more likely to refuse foods. Serving foods that are easily recognizable, labeling them visually and verbally when serving them to residents, and providing an variety of appropriate seasonings to support flavor recognition can aid in increasing acceptance of presented meals. Giving choices can also be helpful; especially if their preferred food is not available. Whether it’s a visual menu or spoken aloud, letting your senior know what options are available will increase the likelihood they select AND consume the food!
3. Presentation matters! If you leave a glass flipped upside down on the table or remove the salad plate from the table setting, this may signal to your seniors that the drink or salad is just no longer available. The way a table is set actually acts as a cue for our behavior at meal times so be sure to leave glasses and dishes on the table and right side up to support as reminders that those things are available if residents want them. Likewise, if salad or coffee, for example, are not available menu options, removing the extra dishes from the table can help to signal to the brain that the choices aren’t on the menu and decrease the chances of someone repeatedly asking for them or becoming upset when they are not presented.
Tell us about some of the strategies YOU use at meal times to support your seniors!
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