Particularidades dos serviço de alimentação em instituições geriátricas

• Autor(a) principal: Rocha, Ada
• Data de Publicação: 2007
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/21651
• topic: Ciências da Saúde, Outras ciências médicas; Health sciences, Other medical sciences

The aging of the population as well as the increasing number of institutionalized elders are characterizing the reality of the last decades. Improving the total quality of life, rather then simply extending the duration of life, is now assuming an increasing priority as a health promotion objective. Meals served at elderly institutions present an important role on the quality of life of the elders, not only in the nutritional point of view but also in social means, promoting the socialization of lonely elders. The main strategies to work in food services for the elders include identifying the nutritional needs of the group; negotiate with them an adequate diet plan; improve culinary in order to facilitate ingestion and digestion; establish and take care of food portions and not forget to explain the reasons for the diet established, involving the elders on their own lifes. Besides that, it is important to ensure the security of meals served considering the special risk of consumers at this age. Ensuring safety of meals served at this institutions may be attained by implementing a flexible HACCP. Food worker and managers must be prepared to work with older people what requires knowledge of the diversity within older groups and the ability to anticipate future changes.