Supporting healthcare teams to make meals matter
Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) is on a journey to enhance the patient meal experience and champion a cultural shift around mealtime in hospitals and continuing care centers.
With the support of AHS leadership, healthcare teams are working together to reduce barriers to eating and make Meals Matter.
Mealtime is an opportunity to find comfort, peace, and pleasure while allowing for the food eaten to contribute to nourishment, healing, wellness, and health.
In a hospital or continuing care environment, mealtimes may compete with many other priorities such as procedures, imaging and blood tests, which can compromise patient food intake.
In addition, feeling unwell or not being able to access their food, such as reaching their tray, opening containers, or trouble self-feeding, can cause a person to lose their appetite and enjoyment of food.
1 in 2 patients admitted to hospital are malnourished. This goes unnoticed 75% of the time. Malnutrition is linked to a longer length of stay and more health complications. It costs the Canadian healthcare system $2 billion each year.
