Cura Hospitality is proud to relaunch its innovative industry-differentiating ” Connections Memory Support Dining. This Cura signature dining program unveils progressive tools, recipe ideas, and training to support memory-impaired residents as they age and to dine gracefully – and with dignity!
Originally introduced to the continuing care retirement market in 2012, Connections is a trending healthcare dining program that meets the ever-changing hospitality needs of residents as they progress through the cognitive stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and dementia, the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
According to 2023 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures, 6.7 million age 65 and older are living with AD today. The aging baby-boom generation will also significantly increase the number of people in the United States with Alzheimer’s disease.
Cura currently serves and has tremendous knowledge and experience managing dining for memory care facilities across the United States. Our clinical and culinary leadership closely follows the trends and the advancements in the care of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and are able to quickly introduce new initiatives to enhance programs that support residents with these challenging disorders.
According to Kate Munson, MS, RDN, LD, Corporate Director, Menu Management for Cura, “Our vision for memory support dining is that we will provide a pleasurable dining experience and improved nutrition intake for our residents in life plan communities.”
Through research, testing, and creative attention, Connections offers long-term and acute care professionals action plans, tools to engage residents, and easy online training so that their healthcare and dining teams can hit the ground running, wasting no time in implementing these progressive tools.
Conversation Starters is one of the most popular tools to help staff caring for memory-impaired residents generate a meaningful conversation. These unique 5×8 cards feature full-color photos in a retro design that represent holiday gatherings, favorite foods, sports, occupations like cooking, and even military memories. On the side of each photo are a series of questions about the photo that a staff member can ask a resident to help them make “connections” to something similar in their past. As AD affects recent memories first, the ability to recollect their earlier life promotes a positive emotion.
Aromatherapy is another tool that Cura’s Connections incorporates to encourage eating, a common behavioral problem associated with the disease. The goal is to create natural food smells. A facility may use Cura’s crock pot recipes such as a favorite stew or bake cookies an hour or so before serving the meal to help stimulate the residents’ appetites.
Two culinary programs are also built into Connections. A Walking Finger Food program provides nutritious snacks that can be consumed easily and “on the go.” This program is ideal for residents with dementia who often experience difficulty sitting for an extended period to dine, and thus may not consume adequate nutrition during meal times. Cura offers several finger and handheld food recipe ideas such as pretzel rods in place of real skewers, stuffed pasta sheets with a variety of protein fillings, mini sliders, chicken tacos, flatbreads, and hummus-filled pitas – to name a few!
Pureed foods are also offered to meet the challenges of residents who experience dysphagia, and swallowing difficulties that are common symptoms of AD. Cura’s goal is to recreate the puréed version of whatever is on Cura’s “Always Available” menu – for example, items from the grill, cold sandwiches, fish, pie, or cookies – for an attractive presentation encouraging residents to eat, while improving nutrition.
Even the way we set tables makes a difference! As AD progresses, the resident’s vision and depth perception decline, and food intake is significantly impacted by our choices in tabletop selections. We will guide you in well-planned tabletop selections so you can make a positive impact on your residents.
Through Cura’s Connections, residents are engaged, unrestricted, and nourished through a trending memory support dining program. “Cura’s teams are dedicated and sincere in finding innovative ways to serve these residents with personalized care, dignity, and compassion,” Munson says.
Life plan communities managed by Cura will be featured for their success using Connections during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in June…stay tuned…!
