Let’s talk about food!
One of the questions we hear most often from our prospective residents is ‘what’s the food like at The Village?’ It’s a question we love, because we’ve put a lot of thought, care and imagination into creating fantastic dining options for our community. But before we get into that, let’s look at exactly why food is so important for seniors and explore the factors that shaped our approach to dining at The Village.
1. The Joy of Eating
Whether you’re an infant trying foods for the first time or an older adult tucking into a favorite dish, eating is a joyful experience. Meals are a central part of the human experience and something we all spend a large part of our lives thinking about, preparing, and enjoying. This joy of eating is absolutely essential to maintain as we get older – every senior deserves the opportunity to consume a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal – and Assisted Living communities have a very real responsibility to ensure residents are excited about eating and look forward to every mealtime.
2. Health
We all know that a balanced diet is essential if you want to stay healthy, and this especially applies to seniors. As our bodies age it’s normal for certain areas to operate less effectively than they did when we were younger, and that makes it all the more important for older adults to ensure they’re taking in a broad range of essential nutrients at every meal. When seniors live alone this can be difficult; maintaining a healthy diet takes work and focus – from grocery shopping to meal preparation to keeping track of what needs eating when, many struggle to keep up and their nutrition levels start to decline. Assisted Living communities take care of all this, ensuring seniors can eat nutritiously without that hassle of shopping and food preparation themselves. Making sure every resident has access to a balanced diet but also to any specific nutritional requirements they may have is a fundamental for dining in Assisted Living communities.
3. Meals are sociable events
As well as our physical health, eating well can have a positive impact on our mental health, and a large part of that is eating with others. Whether you’re sharing a table or sharing a dining room, eating in the presence of others can have a positive impact on a senior’s appetite, their mood and emotional state, and their enjoyment of eating itself. When living alone, mealtimes can feel particularly isolating or lonely; each dining area at The Village is designed to be atmospheric, warm and engaging, to make sure every resident feels comfortable and ‘at home’, while also part of the community.
4. Stimulate the senses
Many seniors find their senses become less responsive as they get older, in particular taste and smell receptors, taking some of the enjoyment out of eating. Some seniors might compensate by heaping sugar or salt on their food to make it taste more, or taste ‘like it used to’ but these can have negative effects on their health, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Assisted Living dining facilities take this into account by finding other ways to stimulate the senses. For instance, studies have shown that the presentation of a meal can have a huge impact on its taste – and that ‘cooking smells’ from the kitchen are an important stimulant for the appetite. If you visit an Assisted Living community, make sure the food looks and smells as good as it tastes!
Dining at The Village
We love it when people ask about our dining options because we believe The Village caters superbly in each of these areas. If you’re curious about how we do things, or if you’re in the area and hear your stomach growling, why not drop in and try our food? Residents at The Village have a range of dining rooms – from the restaurant-style Windsor Dining Room at street level, to the more relaxed Teddy’s Pub with beautiful views over the rolling Vermont hills. And for residents who love cooking and don’t want to give it up, we have a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art home kitchen, specially designed for seniors, where community members can host lunch or dinner parties for their friends and family.
If you’re thinking of Assisted Living for yourself or a loved one, be sure to consider the importance of top quality dining, for staying healthy and happy for longer, and looking forward to every single meal.
