Due to health issues many Americans are unable to get to local grocery stores to purchase their necessary food items or to make regular healthy meals. Groups like Meals on Wheels employ volumes of volunteers to provide regular nutrition to seniors as well as maintain contact as to their overall well being. This organization is compelled to limit the isolation and threat of malnutrition that can be a daily struggle for seniors living alone. Often times, children and spouses are not located in the immediate area or may be non existent and therefore, the volunteers that visits may be the only person they see all week. Without this safety net for seniors, many end up malnourished and may suffer health affects which arent discovered.
Two times a day seven days a week, even on holidays, clients are offered several diet options including diabetic, reduced fat or sodium and meals easy to chew arrive at their door. Meals including packaged sandwiches, fruits, salads are prepared at the meal center, or, for many dinner options, a wide selection of chicken, beef, pork and specialty dishes can be delivered ready to heat as well as ready to eat.
In the late 1980s, another group called Project Angel Food organized to assist those too sick, to shop or cook for themselves. At around the same time volumes of people became afflicted with the HIV/AIDS virus. Because of the seemingly epidemic nature of the disease, more and more people became too sick to shop or cook for themselves. In addition to nutritional needs, nurturing the spirit of clients is an important aspect. Meals can be delivered or picked up at a central location nearby the clients residence. During special holidays including birthdays, clients receive a gift bag to remind them they are cared for.
In order to maintain or improve the health of clients, a nutritional assessment at the time clients come in contact is essential to determine how best to provide for them. It is important to assess the health history and take into account any medications or supplements they may be taking. A number of clients suffer from side effects of medications as well as food allergies and their tolerances of certain dietary items must be adhered to. In addition to providing meals, clients are often referred to food resources and given educational materials designed to account for appropriate meal plans and satisfying the clients individual dietary needs.
Bringing meals to the hospital cafeteria is just one of the tasks of the kitchen in a medical facility. There is another side, often unseen and poorly understood by many. That is the catering of meals, via food delivery carts to the patients. Many who have had overnight hospital stays in the past have given bad reviews of the food served. They complained about cold or lukewarm meals that tasted bland and were in too small of portions, but many fail to keep in mind that as hospital patients, these reviews were not likely to give a favorable view of anything. Today, there is no excuse for patients receiving off temperature meals from the food delivery carts. In fact, not only is it an inconvenience to their taste buds, but it is also a danger to those with weakened immune systems.
A hospital's task is to help those who come on the road to healing. In many cases, this will require that the patient must stay in the hospital for an extended period of time. While they are there, their daily human needs do not change. They still need to sleep, eat, and drink. The hospital's kitchen will take care of the latter two. All meals for those confined to their rooms will be prepared in the kitchen and loaded onto food delivery carts to take to the wards. There are certain qualities of these carts which will help them to fulfill their role in the most efficient manner possible.
One of the aspects you should look for in food delivery carts are those which are durable and stable. This means that you ought to require stainless steel with reinforced edges and or corners. Stainless steel is a material which will not rust and is guaranteed to last for many years of use. It is also very easy to clean and sterilize since it is non-porous. Any surface that comes in contact with food or eating utensils must be able to be sterilized. This is to prevent cross contamination from bacteria which might be picked up. Since these carts are destined to be wheeled throughout the hospital, you should look for heavy duty casters of at least four inches across, depending upon the overall size of the food delivery cart. Large wheels make these mobile units more easily maneuvered through the halls and corridors.
En route to the wards, the food delivery carts must keep the food at a constant temperature. If air from the inside of a heated cabinet is lost from a leaky door closure or poor insulation, the internal temperature of the food could quickly reach the ?danger zone?. This is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In this range, bacteria multiply rapidly, increasing the chances of triggering a potentially fatal food born illness in weakened patients. Magnetic gasket seals on the doors, side to side air flow and an easy to read external thermometer are all features which can prevent heat loss from a cart.
Your food delivery carts need to be able to perform their jobs well, and by purchasing quality carts which are built to last, you can be assured of their reliability and the patient's safety.
Both Phoenix Delray & Gary Gordon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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