What Can the Menu Tell You About an Assisted Living Facility?

August 8, 2017 by ·

Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL: Dining at Assisted Living

Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL: Dining at Assisted Living

Trying to help a family member, such as a parent, find out whether assisted living is right for them is not always easy. This is especially true when that mother or father seems adamant about staying where they are.

It’s important to respect their decision.

Even though a person may be adamant that their mother or father staying in that house all alone is a bad decision, a bad idea, and that it increases the risk of falling and being injured when no one is around to help them, it is still their decision. It needs to be respected.

However, the more people struggle, the more open they become to other ideas.

When we begin to highlight the various challenges our loved ones deal with on a daily basis, and then we provide them a potential solution, they might be more open to listening.

For example, a widowed senior in his mid to late 70s might have difficulty preparing healthy and tasty meals for himself. Maybe his wife of 50 or more years has been doing the cooking for them and he only picked up a few tips along the way. Now he seems completely lost.

This would be a great time to begin discussing what food is available at assisted living.

Not every assisted living facility is the same, but the better ones will have decent dining facilities. Some may even have restaurant style facilities with a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu may change frequently to provide variety.

For the senior in this example, by talking about the menu and dining facility options available at a particular assisted living facility, he may become interested. He might miss eating something healthy for a change. He may have grown tired of frozen meals, processed pre-made dinners from his local supermarket, and be longing for something different.

He may also begin to realize that a dining facility at an assisted living community may offer him the opportunity to meet up with other seniors who may share common interests with him. Having a conversation over a great meal can be wonderful for people of all ages, including seniors.

When a person begins looking at the menu at an assisted living community, it can say a lot about its dedication to the residents, it’s adherence to what they would like to eat, and even how important a healthy lifestyle is to those of advanced years.

If you or an aging loved one are considering assisted living in Pascagoula, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

Filed Under: Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL, Diet and Nutrition · Tagged:
About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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