Designing Food for Improved Nutrient Intake for LTC Residents with Dementia

The project will aim to develop special meals for older adults living in long-term care facilities in partnership with Shannex nursing homes. One of the challenges related to long-term care facilities is the nutrition of older adults with dementia that is often accompanied with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). The student will develop tasty food products that meet the requirements for foods for special dietary use and will have puréed texture to be safe for dysphagia. Using special molds, this puréed food will be shaped in various forms resembling actual food products. The sensory acceptance of the formulated foods will be tested first with older adults without dementia. The food prototype with the best sensory characteristics will be identified and then provided to the older adults with dementia. The food intake (i.e., the amount of food consumed) will be calculated and compared to their regular intake. It is expected that the formulated food will be appealing to older adults with dementia resulting in improved nutrient intake.

Faculty Supervisor:

Bohdan Luhovyy

Student:

Partner:

Shannex Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Mount Saint Vincent University

Program:

Accelerate

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Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.