Let’s face it, many residents wouldn’t think twice about eating food brought in from a family member. After all, this is someone they love and trust. But that doesn’t mean the food is always safe to eat. In fact, if the proper procedures aren’t followed, it could be deadly. With these tools, you can ensure the safety of the people in your care.
Food safety is important for everyone, but it’s especially important for your residents. As people age, the changes our bodies undergo make us more susceptible to food-borne illness. Since this illness can be serious, or even fatal, it is important for your residents to know and practice safe food-handling methods to help reduce their risk of getting sick from contaminated food.
To help your residents, their family members and friends bring in food that is safe to consume, we have created a tip sheet you can share with them that answers these questions:
- How long can food be held at room temperature?
- How can you safely store leftovers and where?
- What types of foods and snacks are best to have brought in?
- How can residents enjoy the foods and snacks they love and still maintain dietary restrictions?
This useful tool reminds residents to make safe choices on long term care dietary requirements while providing them with the knowledge to eat meals that they enjoy.
In our third installment of our series on food from outside sources, we examine the question: Is your staff trained to safely handle food brought in from restaurants, home or other outside sources?
We want to hear from you. Let us know if these quick tips help friends and family of your residents.