About Residential Menus
For over thirty-five years I have been involved with residential settings in New York and Ohio. I have worked direct care, case management, and licensure and been the Executive Director of both a county wide and later a state wide non-profit agency operating numerous residential settings. My experience has been that the area of food management in the homes is often frustrating for the home manager. Generally the administrator feels somewhat out of control in managing costs and maintaining a system that meets the needs of both residents and regulatory agencies.
Out of these concerns this manual was developed to meet the needs of residential facilities. In cooperation with a Registered Dietitian, with a great deal of experience in smaller homes, an affordable system has been developed to meet the increasingly demanding needs of residential settings. We recognize that the smaller facilities must meet the same rules and regulations as the larger homes and also that these rules change year after year becoming increasingly harder to meet. This professional system has been prepared not only to help you now . . . but also in the future when the rules will become even more stringent.
One of the goals of the program is to save the average home 2 hours per week in time for meal planning, preparation and food purchasing. Later you will see how the inventory control shopping lists make purchasing so much easier by getting you in and out of the grocery store quicker-this feature alone can save a great deal of time.
Another goal of this system is to help your home look and become more professional. We are living in a world with an increasing emphasis on titles and degrees. Documentation has become all important in running a home in today’s world and this manual will provide all the necessary documentation for licensing reviews.
In addition, in private pay homes the system can be quite impressive to families inquiring about placement. Further advertising can reflect the fact that your meals have been planned by a Registered Dietitian.
I remain confident that utilizing this program will save your home considerable time in planning menus, will assist staff in the preparation of food, and will save a considerable amount of both time and money in purchasing... and that it will significantly enhance the professional atmosphere of your home.
The manual has been prepared according to generally accepted nutritional practices and guidelines. It utilizes four-four week cycle menus, which are color - coded to each season and will assure your residents a well balanced diet. These menus meet the current USDA dietary guidelines as of this date. They meet the 2015 USDA MyPlate recommendations. They reflect the accepted diabetic exchange units of the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. These menus also meet all state-specific dietary guidelines as required by the states of North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and California.
This manual is a joint project between myself and Nutrition Management Systems President, Deborah Kemokai-Wrigh. Debbie authors for professional journals and newsletters and has provided professional research by way of poster sessions at both the Ohio and American Dietetic Associations. Deborah serves on the board of directors of the Ohio Dietetic Association, including serving as President of the Association in 1996-1997. She has served as President and Council on Practice Chairman for the Greater Akron Dietetic Association as well as Council on Practice Chairman for the Ohio Dietetic Association. She has also held national positions with the American Dietetic Association's Networking Task Force, Diversity Committee and Commission on Dietetic Registration. She is currently also an adjunct professor at The University of Akron.
David Groetzinger