Nowadays, people are living longer and require flexible lifestyle options. That is why our retirement community offers resident-focused personal care and specialized memory care. Our options for senior living in Norcross, GA, create a level of flexibility that is not available everywhere.
Dining Trends in Senior Living
Dining in retirement communities is not just about food. The foodie culture and a population shift toward more discerning residents are challenging retirement communities to do more regarding dining. The best personal care providers are setting themselves apart through their creative approaches. They are focusing more on nutrition, menus, presentation, and more.
Retirement communities often see different food service trends due to the populations they serve. After all, senior living caters to a group of people most likely to have different preferences and trends than the overall population. Some of the top dining trends in senior living in Norcross, GA, include the following:
Focusing on Wellness
Health and wellness are about more than your physical health and the food on your plate. Overall wellness is also about your social, spiritual, emotional, and mental state. That is why many retirement communities are taking steps to improve these aspects of their residents’ well-being.
A Senior Housing News report advises personal care communities to learn from hotels and their health-conscious approaches. Some resorts offer meditation and exercise classes and chef-led healthy cooking classes.
Dining for All Care Types
Inventive senior dining approaches are not for independent living residents only. They should cover the entire care continuum. Some are ideal for high-acuity populations, like memory care residents in senior living.
The best dining programs work to restructure regular meals without pureeing or pulverizing the food. Instead, it grinds and reshapes some ingredients to make them easier to eat without utensils. That allows residents to smell and taste the food they love without having trouble eating in its traditional form.
More Variety
Nobody wants to eat the same thing daily. You want several options when you sit down for a meal. Part of the fun of going to a restaurant is figuring out what to eat from the menu. Retirement community residents should enjoy the same variety. That is why more communities are offering made-to-order and restaurant-style menu options. Giving residents more dining options is a significant component of resident-focused care.
24-Hour Dining
Besides choosing what they want, retirement community residents expect to eat whenever they want. That is why one of the most popular trends today is offering 24-hour food service options and venues that remain open early in the morning and late into the evening. Many retirement communities are using the following approaches to stretch dining hours:
- Convertible spaces
- Snack and food carts
- Grab-and-go food items
Food as Entertainment
The rise of TV programming devoted to food shows that food is an ongoing source of entertainment in senior living. Retirement communities are centering programming and activities around food. They are using the following creative ways to bring entertainment programming for their residents’ enjoyment:
- Pop-up dining venues
- Exhibition kitchens
- Cooking demonstrations
- Chef competitions
These trends complement a resident-focused care environment. Our retirement community aims to give residents more independence, choice, and better overall health. Incorporating these trends into our community helps improve residents’ lives.
