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What would you (the adult child) do if food was sub par? Parent does not have taste buds issues. Currently paying facility charge of $3k for Assisted Living.

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Are you asking a general question, or is your mom not having a good dining experience where she lives? Have you eaten meals there with her? What is your take on the food quality? My mother in law raves about how delicious her meals are in the memory care/assisted living facility she lives in! Like restaurants open to the general public, some are good, others, not so much... AL is monitored by state agency and food plays a huge role in resident satisfaction with their environs, so the state auditors usually keep a close eye out for nutritional value, food quality, hygienic practices and also satiability of the food being served.
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Mom's favorite family diner is across the street from her memory care facility so 1-2x a week I try to get her takeout

Some have commented that I spoil her - really?

There's one woman whose family is overseas but they use facility private caregivers- she generally looks for a snack at night and has been craving a grilled cheese sandwich lately- I offered to try and make one in the microwave but she wanted an authentic one - frying pan on the stove-
I think it's sad to be locked up and not even able to get a little bit of comfort
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I think I would start by having at least a couple of meals at the AL with him for a couple of weeks. While the preference for the food is a subjective thing, I'd make sure that the food really wasn't palatable overall and not just a few dishes that they don't do well.

From my experience, the facility tries to provide a well balanced meal, of a protein, starch and veggie, along with deserts. I'm glad that my cousin's AL and MC both serve excellent food, though there used to be some things that she used to not care for. Now she loves everything.

My dad doesn't have dementia, but, at 79, he's no longer big on meals, but likes soup, sandwich, and sweets, especially ice cream and cake. I would rule out dad writing off the food as not good, merely because to him, he'd rather have snacks and deserts.

If the food isn't very tasty overall, then, if funds allow, I'd arrange to have at least one meal a day delivered to him by a favorite restaurant or diner. Then, I'd take him a couple of homemade plates myself when time allows. Eating good food is one of the last pleasures the senior may have and I'd do my best to ensure that dad is able to continue to enjoy it.
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The food in the Independent Living/Assisted Living complex was excellent. Dad was able to choose off of a menu, so if he wasn't all that hungry he could order a salad or nice large sandwich instead of an entree. No complaints from Dad.

In fact, he was hesitant to move to the Assisted Living/Memory Care side of the complex until I told him it will be the same chef doing the meals. Then he was gun-ho to move to the other building.

It all depends on what people are use to eating.
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For IL and AL my mom lived in a huge retirement community. The main dining room was also a restaurant that was opening to the paying public and the food was very good. The only downside was that it was a family held business - the entire property, not just the restaurant- and they imposed their religious dietary restrictions on the dining room - so no pork or shellfish and no alcohol. My mom loved bacon at breakfast so this one food absence irked her - and I do agree that turkey bacon just isn't the same! Mom was paying about $4,000 a month and that fully included meals in AL but was a $250 dining room credit if you were in IL. Not sure about the logic there as - at least in my moms case - she paid roughly the same rent in both living situations.
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Food varies (along with every other service) across assisted living facilities. The one where my MIL was had a GREAT chef and food when she moved in. He left and the next one was an immigrant and offered a different array of food, lots of curry. He left but so did my MIL. So now we are getting used to a new place. She was paying $6500/month.
My Mom was in an AL/Memory care facility. The food was terrible. Greasy sausage patties for breakfast, beans with many meals, etc. BTW this was $7000+/month several years ago.
From my perspective, at $3000/month if everything else is working and if the family council suggestions don't work, you can bring your parent a home cooked favorite dish when you visit and still be ahead of where we are in my area.
Food can be supplemented 'as a treat'; the quality of the aides you can't fix so that would be more important to me.
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Is "subpar" based on your assessment of the food, or mom's?
Is there a faily council? Most ALs have them. They can be an effective way of addressing an issue like this.
Who have you spoken to in manag7about this issue?
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The food at mom's memory care is very bizarre especially for those who have trouble swallowing- sticky rice polish sausage etc
Xmas dinner was pesto pasta
They do dessert 3x a day though and some residents eat a lot of ice cream
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