Food is a challenge in senior facilities as I know from being an Administrator at a few. First, taste buds change as we age. Second, no salt or much flavoring in the food at senior homes. Three, it is mostly women and we for the most part like our own cooking best. Four, food becomes the focus sadly for many in senior facilities because meal time is the social time and most interactive time, and with food as the main activity, it is open to a lot of critisism. Fifth, it is hard to find creative head cooks at senior homes because the pay is not great, the hours are intensely long, the demands and constant complaints, combined with tight food budgets, make it often not a fun job.
I recently had my mom stay at a Sunrise Senior Living here in the Seattle area (which I originally opened). When I picked her up on her last day, it was breakfast and I sat at her table while she ate. One woman sent her egg back two times because the edges of the white had some brown on them and she wanted the white perfectly white. I had to say it was quite a fuss. That is often what I experienced as an Administrator and everyone definitely has their right to complain, I am just stating food is a problem even at five star assisted livings that cost up to $10,000 a month for full care.
|