Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, Surrey, have combined skill, science and creative energy to produce a range of foods to tempt patients who cannot eat everyday meals.
The importance of serving nutritious food to patients is acknowledged as one of the foundations of holistic healthcare; acknowledging the value of food and drink in maintaining health and wellbeing.
But when someone has swallowing difficulties – which is a common symptom of many serious illnesses – food served up as puree has until recently done little to encourage patients to eat it due to its unappetising appearance.
A multi-disciplinary nutrition team at the hospice that includes chefs, nurses, the ward catering team, a speech and language therapist and a dietitian, has worked tirelessly to introduce a range of options for patients with compromised eating and drinking abilities, termed dysphagia.
The results have proven astonishing – savoury and sweet dishes created from pureed ingredients in a variety of realistic-looking meals that taste as good as they look.
The chefs’ skills were showcased as part of the hospice’s Global Tea Party celebrations during Nutrition & Hydration Week.
Hospice speech and language therapist Juliet Lawson said:
“Eating and drinking is central to our lives and can be an emotive subject, especially when a loved one is very ill. It can be distressing to feel they are not eating or drinking as they should.
“The team’s research, hard work and training has not been just to make meals more attractive to patients – it’s also in response to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) which has published international definitions for food that has been modified for people with swallowing difficulties.
“Princess Alice Hospice can proudly say we are now IDDSI compliant, which is a fantastic achievement for the team.”
This milestone has been reached in advance of the requirement for compliance which is 1 April 2019.
For more information visit Princess Alice Hospice
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