Introduction
Plate waste in a nursing home has become a prevalent issue in the resident’s dietary intake served by the food service department. It is estimated that up to seven to thirty percent of the plates were reported as waste at hospital settings and nursing homes (Williams & Walton, 2011; Walton, 2012). Plate waste is associated with resident’s changes in appetite and food preferences, which increases the risk of malnutrition-related complications such as, weight loss, muscle wasting, a decrease in energy expenditure, physical activity, and specific nutrient deficiencies (Wright et al, 2013; Engelheart & Akner, 2015). In addition, the resident’s clinical condition relates to the lack of feeding assistance, limited food choices, inappropriate meal timing, and poor dining environment in long-term residential care. William and Walton (2011) found that forty percent of patients leave food as waste due to a decrease in appetite and food intake choice. The food service staff and other health professionals are looking at ways to enhance …show more content…
Protein-energy malnutrition is one the key indicators of poor nutrition for residents that are living in a nursing home and or other home care facility. The prevalence of malnutrition ranges from thirty to sixty-five percent of residents living in long-term care institutions (Wright et al., 2013). Besides the resident’s clinical condition, hospital staff and management experience communication issues with dietitians in providing nutritional care to residents due to inappropriate meal timing and missing meals (Walton, 2012). All of these conditions put the resident’s risk for morbidity, mortality, increase health costs, and decrease the quality of care (Beck et al., 2015; Meij et al., 2015). Also, a factor called ‘anorexia of aging’ explains that residents consume the least amount of calories as they age (Engelheart & Akner,
Plate waste in a nursing home has become a prevalent issue in the resident’s dietary intake served by the food service department. It is estimated that up to seven to thirty percent of the plates were reported as waste at hospital settings and nursing homes (Williams & Walton, 2011; Walton, 2012). Plate waste is associated with resident’s changes in appetite and food preferences, which increases the risk of malnutrition-related complications such as, weight loss, muscle wasting, a decrease in energy expenditure, physical activity, and specific nutrient deficiencies (Wright et al, 2013; Engelheart & Akner, 2015). In addition, the resident’s clinical condition relates to the lack of feeding assistance, limited food choices, inappropriate meal timing, and poor dining environment in long-term residential care. William and Walton (2011) found that forty percent of patients leave food as waste due to a decrease in appetite and food intake choice. The food service staff and other health professionals are looking at ways to enhance …show more content…
Protein-energy malnutrition is one the key indicators of poor nutrition for residents that are living in a nursing home and or other home care facility. The prevalence of malnutrition ranges from thirty to sixty-five percent of residents living in long-term care institutions (Wright et al., 2013). Besides the resident’s clinical condition, hospital staff and management experience communication issues with dietitians in providing nutritional care to residents due to inappropriate meal timing and missing meals (Walton, 2012). All of these conditions put the resident’s risk for morbidity, mortality, increase health costs, and decrease the quality of care (Beck et al., 2015; Meij et al., 2015). Also, a factor called ‘anorexia of aging’ explains that residents consume the least amount of calories as they age (Engelheart & Akner,