Improving residents’ wellbeing in senior citizen homes with more individualized food services

Abstract

Currently, food services in Swiss senior citizen homes heavily depend on the presence and working hours of human resources. For most residents, there is currently no possibility to eat according to their individual needs or preferences. However, trends like flexible catering, the reduction of the importance of lunch as main meal of the day or the “snackification” will influence service delivery in senior citizen homes in the future. At the same time, staff shortage and decreasing financial means force institutions to find new service designs. The goal was to find out how the wellbeing of residents in senior citizen homes can be improved by providing more individualized food services. Based on literature, a mixed-method research approach was chosen, combining expert interviews and a survey amongst management and staff representatives of Swiss senior citizen homes. It becomes clear that a more flexible food service provision needs to be thought in a holistic context encompassing the whole organisation, including not only hospitality staff but also management and care professionals.