Defining skilled nursing facility residents' dining style preferences.

The desire of skilled nursing facilities to increase quality of service to meet changes in residents' expectations, improve marketability, and adhere to regulations warrant a new look at culture change and homelike dining as defined by residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). The objectives of this study were to determine residents' home dining practices, to define residents' desired dining style practices in the SNF, and to determine the relationship between home dining practices and dining preferences in SNF. One hundred and four residents in three SNF in the central Texas area who met the cognition criteria and consumed facility-provided food were engaged in a standardized interview using the Resident Dining Style Preferences Survey. Data were analyzed to determine the degree to which home practices determine SNF dining preferences. Our findings showed that the majority of the participants want hot, home cooked meals served in the dining room. They want to be seated at the table with friends and neighbors and served on every day plates in a quiet atmosphere, with food served restaurant or table service style. Length of stay and generational group were not significant predictors of dining style preferences. Study limitations included small sample size and lack of ethnic diversity. Our study results show that removing dining time restrictions may be the most valuable adaptation for a SNF looking to initiate culture change.