Senior Living Administrators Face "Culture Change"; Trends in Hospitality

Let's face it; food is at the heart of senior living communities. But for today’s older adults, dining is more than just another meal. Gone are the days of foods prepared in bulk and served in the traditional, "massive" dining room setting. Today’s administrators are challenged with the "culture change" of creating an intimate dining more conducive to socialization. There’s also a focus on farm fresh food that is prepared to order, wellness programs, and sustainable, greener operations.

Just as no two cultures are exactly alike, "culture change" will be different for each individual community, as defined by the specific desires and preferences of its residents.

Cura Hospitality realizes the need to have multiple options and resources prepared to address community-specific culture changes. That’s why some of the best operators, marketers and clinicians from Cura, work with senior living administrators who serve in advisory roles to help the industry understand the trends and needs of the new senior. Together, they create action plans that address everything from points of dining service to designing greener communities.

According to Cura’s Founder and President, Mitch Possinger, "Our goal is to be a resource for our clients in implementing their culture change initiatives, to help them increase census and be a leader during these challenging economic times."

For example, food service at the new Hanna HealthCare Center at Longwood in Oakmont, PA is now "decentralized" into free-standing country kitchens. Instead of tray-line systems, which limit what healthcare residents can order, residents now receive a variety of fresh food that is plated and prepared-to-order when they are ready to eat.

This new form of service resembles home-style kitchens and allows for a main and alternate entrée to be prepared in the main kitchen and delivered to the country kitchen just prior to serving the residents. Fresh food is held hot in attractive steam tables out of view and surrounded by a large countertop. In addition to the entrees, soups and sandwiches -- as well as quick-serve items -- such as hot dogs and grilled cheese, are easily prepared to order by request. Residents, with the assistance of recreational services staff, also may use the country kitchen to prepare food.

According to Michael K. Haye, executive director of Longwood at Oakmont, residents also look forward to eating in the country kitchen because of its openness to living and activity areas. That increases socialization, mobility (as they need to walk to the dining room) and overall well-being.

Older adults, especially independent living residents also like convenience. For example, at Sherwood Oaks in Cranberry Township, PA, residents requested grab-and-go options, so Cura constructed a cart that offers fruits, soups and sandwiches twice a week. The cart concept was so popular that Sherwood Oaks incorporated a grab-and-go section in their dining room renovations. The grab-and-go section offers a variety of food that’s packaged in bio-based green-ware. Open daily, residents may choose from freshly cut fruit, yogurt with granola, desserts, fresh salads, sandwiches on homemade breads and assorted beverages.

A small area for grab-and-go groceries includes: milk, eggs, boxed cereals, deli meats, loaves of bread and other convenience items.

Older adults are also more aware and better educated on the key health benefits of the food they eat. In fact, it’s important for them to know where their food is grown and harvested. Jamie Moore, director of sourcing and sustainability for Cura, partnered with more than 150 local farms and producers of food that deliver fresh product to our communities through Cura’s FarmSource program.

Moore says that sustainability and designing greener communities continues to challenge us to behave ethically across generations – senior living is no exception. In fact seniors are as active as ever concerning these issues.

For example, The Bridges at Bent Creek in Mechanicsburg, PA, plans to begin its own version of FarmSource. Residents will attend a class instructed by a local greenhouse owner who will give the residents the "know-how" to plant, water, tend and care for their own garden. The "harvest" from the garden will be used by Cura’s executive chef to prepare foods and will be identified with a customized logo when the foods are featured on the menu.

A composter was recently purchased so that the community’s pre-consumer food waste consisting of vegetable waste and woody material (cardboard, leaves and woodchips) can be composted on-site and returned back to the garden.

In addition to National Nutrition Month celebrations, Cura’s clinicians conduct wellness workshops year-round that tackle the specific health issues that affect people of all ages. Topics may include eating for a healthy life, trans-fatty acids and heart disease, exercise and nutrition, diet trends and fads, organic foods, and living with diseases. According to Joe Herman, Cura’s senior director of clinical and nutrition services, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., the dietitians create customized nutrition plans and menus and organize wellness events that provide residents and patients the opportunity to utilize our health experts and take part in health screenings.