Timing of Meals

How long do your residents have between their last meal of one day the first one the following day?  12 hours?  Perhaps even 14 hours?

The other way to look at it is, how many hours in a day do they have to consume all the nutrition they need?  Sometimes it's as small as 9 hours.  We would all be challenged to live like this in the long term but that's exactly what many of residents do every day.

When I have asked the question before, so why do your aged care residents have their meals when they do? Answers that I get are, they like it like that, or this is when they expect their meal.  Usually, over time, it becomes the norm and what they expect and not what they might have preferred.

Do you provide a later meal in the evening?  What are the challenges?  Is this something that can be overcome to be more resident centred?

If you need some help, don't hesitate to contact me.