Adapting the mealtime environment: setting the stage for eating.

In long-term care facilities, mealtime should be an important and exciting event that residents and staff look forward to three times a day. Providing residents with a homelike, pleasant dining atmosphere should promote socialization, enhance awareness, and increase appetites, thereby improving the residents' quality of life. This paper discusses the subtle but strong influence that the environment has in preparing residents for eating. Environmental factors that promote a positive mealtime experience are discussed.