Ellwood, 75, has lived at the home for roughly six years and says he’s noticed a marked decline in food quality since the changes were phased in.
Scrambled eggs poured from a container, watery mashed potatoes and unrecognizable chicken heated from a package have now become hallmarks of his diet, said the senior, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.
“There’s no aroma, no taste to it. It all comes in on a truck in the morning and what we get is what we get. It’s certainly not appetizing,” said Ellwood. “I never eat it all. I push half of it away. It doesn’t appeal to me.”
I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
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I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
Pretty blunt, but I have to agree with you. Maybe the province could spring for some Franks though. That'll make those potatoes taste better.
I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
Let's see if you have the same attitude in 40 years when you are the recipient of these high quality dishes.
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I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
Agreed. Some of these people only paid taxes in this country for 50 or 60 years. Now that they are at an advanced age, they can pound sand, or eat it.
Sure, they might have fought in a war or something, but they did that on the government dime too. Or they could be your parents, or grandparents, but who cares?
Money matters more than anything else. Food, dignity, compassion... these things aren't free.
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I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
This is an absolutely abysmal attitude. Not only is it wrong, but there is no need for it to be this way.
There is no excuse in the world for serving food that is this poor in quality. Our dog and pet friends get fed better than this.
It is totally within the realm of possibility to not only serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time.
From the various comments in the video, it sounds that the food in these homes used to be cooked on site and was indeed not only nutritious but tasty and presentable as well.
There is nothing wrong with having a standardized food plan...but that should not have to mean that the food is prepared out of country, frozen, and merely reheated at a later point in time.
These are nursing homes, not nursing institutions. Just because some of them have lost their mental or physical capacities does not mean that they should be treated in such a fashion. They deserve better.
Each of us will probably have to face having a loved one live in a nursing home at some point in our lives. The time to start being advocates for those loved ones is now, not when they enter nursing homes.
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This is an absolutely abysmal attitude. Not only is it wrong, but there is no need for it to be this way.
There is no excuse in the world for serving food that is this poor in quality. Our dog and pet friends get fed better than this.
It is totally within the realm of possibility to not only serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time.
From the various comments in the video, it sounds that the food in these homes used to be cooked on site and was indeed not only nutritious but tasty and presentable as well.
There is nothing wrong with having a standardized food plan...but that should not have to mean that the food is prepared out of country, frozen, and merely reheated at a later point in time.
These are nursing homes, not nursing institutions. Just because some of them have lost their mental or physical capacities does not mean that they should be treated in such a fashion. They deserve better.
Each of us will probably have to face having a loved one live in a nursing home at some point in our lives. The time to start being advocates for those loved ones is now, not when they enter nursing homes.
You're dwelling in the realm of luxury here, which is just not feasible when health care resources are already so limited. Their basic living needs are more than being met with the current "menu", which should be the acceptable standard from a logistics perspective. Even changing the menu to "serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time" costs money, and the yield on that is debatable. It sucks that it's not terribly appetizing, but any further resources need to be distributed to meeting the basics of care in other areas like wait-lists, new disease treatments etc.
You could always go volunteer there if you feel so strongly about this.
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This is definitely a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
My son worked as a cook at one of these senior's homes for about 6 months, and when he complained about the quality of the food, he was fired.
One of our close friends had a parent in the same home, and when they heard from my son what was going on with the food i.e. pre-packed, frozen, no name brand junk, they promptly moved her to a different facility, where she was much happier.
I think every senior in a nursing home should have someone advocating for them...preferably a family member if possible. Just the staff knowing that someone is keeping an eye on the situation can achieve positive results.
My wife and I used to pick up an old gentleman at a nursing home and take him to church once a week, and we spoke up whenever his teeth needed extra cleaning, or he needed a warmer coat, etc. He ended up with one of the nicest rooms in the facilty. He had looked after his Mom and Dad until they died, and had no immediate family in the area.
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You're dwelling in the realm of luxury here, which is just not feasible when health care resources are already so limited. Their basic living needs are more than being met with the current "menu", which should be the acceptable standard from a logistics perspective. Even changing the menu to "serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time" costs money, and the yield on that is debatable. It sucks that it's not terribly appetizing, but any further resources need to be distributed to meeting the basics of care in other areas like wait-lists, new disease treatments etc.
You could always go volunteer there if you feel so strongly about this.
Everything costs money. Anyone who merely says you are getting bang for your buck and their basic needs are being met is cruel and heartless.
And to merely say "go volunteer there if you feel so strongly" is just putting your head in the sand and ignoring the problem.
Food served in nursing homes, other care centers, prisons, whatever, does not need to be worse than what you would serve to animals, no matter if it meeds basic needs or not. We as a society can do better and should do better.
These are seniors who through no fault of their own, are no longer able to take care of themselves...but who have for the better part of their life. They are vulnerable, they cannot advocate for themselves, and they should not just be holed up somewhere and forgotten about.
At one time, a lot of people also thought that these same seniors should just be medicated....like so what, they don't have their mental faculties anyhow.....their needs are being met....what's the big deal?
Well, there are many ways to meet needs. Have we fell so low as a society that we feel good when we only meet the lowest common denominator?
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ugh. honestly i hate how conservative this province and its people can be. im sure inmates are being fed better than this.
Having seen both - no they are not.
That being said there is an issue that exists but I don't think it is obscene of an issue that the AUPE (who stands the most to gain) is making it out to be. I have worked in long term care facilities and the food for the most part is pretty good, something I would feel comfortable eating. Is it fine dining - absolutely not, but then you have to remember that you are having to feed hundreds of people a day, often times who have swallowing issues, are on a purée diet, often who have GERD and different tastes. It is all but impossible to satisfy everyone, especially with regards to food. I do think that people who have wounds though should be and are getting meal suppliments such as Ensure or Beneprotein, so it isn't as simple as just looking at the meal chart. I stopped half way through but I have never heard of fresh foods being associated with fewer UTIs, I don't know if there is someone more educated that I am on the subject that would be able to offer some insight.
What I have recommended to families in the past is if there is a food that people enjoy, to bring it in for their loved ones, or to bring in spices if that is what they need to enjoy their meal.
There are a lot of things that I really dislike about the AUPE and the fact is that some of the worst food has been made on site by an AUPE member who should have been fired long before but was protected by their union.
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This article really makes me want to max out my RRSPs.
I have a nursing home 2 buildings down from me, and I go over there every now and then and let the residents pet my dog. The way I see those people living, has made me do that exactly.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by NuclearFart
You're dwelling in the realm of luxury here, which is just not feasible when health care resources are already so limited. Their basic living needs are more than being met with the current "menu", which should be the acceptable standard from a logistics perspective. Even changing the menu to "serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time" costs money, and the yield on that is debatable. It sucks that it's not terribly appetizing, but any further resources need to be distributed to meeting the basics of care in other areas like wait-lists, new disease treatments etc.
You could always go volunteer there if you feel so strongly about this.
I volunteered in a few care facilities for about 7 years. The food there wasn't exotic or fancy. They had someone on site that prepaired and cooked the food each day. To sum it up it was tastey and edible and the standards were a heck of a lot better that what this report is coming out with. Not very senior choses to live in these facilities and cutting corners on food preperation is the wrong way to go about it.
You're dwelling in the realm of luxury here, which is just not feasible when health care resources are already so limited. Their basic living needs are more than being met with the current "menu", which should be the acceptable standard from a logistics perspective. Even changing the menu to "serve food that is cost effective and nutritious, but also tasty and presentable at the same time" costs money, and the yield on that is debatable. It sucks that it's not terribly appetizing, but any further resources need to be distributed to meeting the basics of care in other areas like wait-lists, new disease treatments etc.
You could always go volunteer there if you feel so strongly about this.
did you even watch the video? food costs for senior homes have increased since this program started, not decreased. so essentially the conservative government took a program that was operating just fine and broke it so that nobody wins (except the corporations providing this food, which i'm sure were the main lobbyists for the change in the first place)
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I think the province's responsibility ends at providing nutritious food. They seem to be living up to that responsibility. If you want better food, you'll have to pay for it. If you can't afford better food I guess you're SOL. Just like every other person in the country.
Wow... I'm speechless.
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Everything costs money. Anyone who merely says you are getting bang for your buck and their basic needs are being met is cruel and heartless.
And to merely say "go volunteer there if you feel so strongly" is just putting your head in the sand and ignoring the problem.
Food served in nursing homes, other care centers, prisons, whatever, does not need to be worse than what you would serve to animals, no matter if it meeds basic needs or not. We as a society can do better and should do better.
These are seniors who through no fault of their own, are no longer able to take care of themselves...but who have for the better part of their life. They are vulnerable, they cannot advocate for themselves, and they should not just be holed up somewhere and forgotten about.
At one time, a lot of people also thought that these same seniors should just be medicated....like so what, they don't have their mental faculties anyhow.....their needs are being met....what's the big deal?
Well, there are many ways to meet needs. Have we fell so low as a society that we feel good when we only meet the lowest common denominator?
Wow. And we should give them each a puppy and a pony.
Talk about hyperbole. People who feel 'bang for their buck' are cruel and heartless? They're all just monsters because you, the 'Queen of All Reason' happen to disagree with them?
They're being fed worse food than animals or prisoners? Based on what evidence?
I wish I'd had such a privileged life as you. When I was a student this 'gruel' that that they're being fed was a luxury.
If you dont have the money to pay for better food, you have to eat what you can afford. This is true of everyone, regardless of age. If you're a millionaire then you can afford to eat steak and lobster every day. If you're a hobo you tend to eat dumpster burgers and be grateful for them.
Its not cruel or heartless, its a fact life.
The truth of the matter here isnt that they're being fed gruel by some northern English hag out of a swill-pot in a government run orphanage or anything, but that they arent getting what they pay for.
In Assisted Living facilities the tenants pay for their food to be prepared for them, this is what should be looked at. They're not living there on the good graces of the Government nad the average taxpayer, they pay for their tenancy.
Now, if they used to get good food and now the quality has lowered but they're still paying their fees then questions have to be asked.
Not irrelevant questions about basic human decency and the ludicrous notion that they're being treated like prisoners or being fed worse than animals. Thats conjecture and hyperbole.
But reasonable questions such as:
- Has the cost of preparing this food increased?
- Has their rent increased to accommodate this additional expense?
- Has more of their rent been assigned to more crucial services and as such the cost had to be reallocated from the menu?
- Is there a reasonable alternative?
At least these will get you somewhere. Standing on your soapbox decrying the decency of people based solely on your own opinion is ludicrous.
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