Healthy and Nutritious Menus in Long-Term Care

Food is an important part of life. It comforts, delights and links directly to a better quality of life. It’s more than what we serve – it’s the sense that what you’re eating feels like home.

We are listening to the feedback on menu choices and local foods from the patients and residents in our long-term care facilities. Our staff and Culinary Lead, Tracey Christensen, are working hard to collaborate with staff, patients, families, and dietitians ongoing to ensure the people we care for are offered more choice, local preferences, and nutritious fare.

Long-Term Care: Core Menu

Our Core Menu Program was established to provide consistent, quality meal alternatives that meet the dietary needs of our patients and residents. We have and will continue to improve the menu, in ways like:

• Expanding menu choices to offer more variety and favorites.
• Displaying meal options so residents can make active choices.
• Hosting sampling session for patients and residents, and their families, local staff and community members to get feedback on new menu items.
• Working with our Culinary Lead and provincial culinary team to build on menu selections.
• Listening and responding to feedback from our kitchen staff, who know first-hand what patients and residents like and dislike by the food left on their plates.
• Using our computerized menu management system to help our cooks across the province plan meals and share their ideas and successes.
• Frequently Asked Questions:
  • What food can I bring for my family member?

Local Foods

AHS is proud to work with many Alberta suppliers. In 2012, 25 per cent of our total food purchases – over $8 million dollars - came from local producers, an increase of 5% over 2011 and higher than the national ‘healthier hospitals’ target of 15 per cent.