Country Range Group runs ‘catering for dementia’ training day

Country Range Group recently ran an interactive training session for a team at the University Hospitals of Leicester on catering for people with dementia.

The training day was a prize in a campaign in the group’s publication, Stir it up.

With The Alzheimer’s Society estimating that around 70% of care home residents have dementia or severe memory problems, this training is becoming increasingly important due to major staff shortages and a growing skills gap across the care catering sector.

The special training day was run in conjunction with International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) consultant Andy Cullum.

It followed publication of the Country Range Group’s comprehensive Catering for Dementia Guide last summer that focused on creative solutions to ensure menu inclusivity, nourishment, stimulation and tips to help residents with eating and drinking difficulties.

The interactive day was attended by six NHS catering professionals and featured demonstrations on key areas such as fortification, diet notification sheets/food passports, the IDDSI framework, cooking techniques, waste reduction, IDDSI auditing tools, preparation, storage and dining with dignity.

Rachel Porter, Country Range Group own brand manager, said: “Dysphagia is something that can affect people of all ages due to a wide range of reasons. It was therefore a privilege to run the special training day and do our small bit to help train and provide skills to a passionate group of NHS caterers.

“Andy’s training breaks down barriers and gives caterers the confidence to incorporate safely modified meals without specialist ingredients or equipment.

“With the many challenges faced by caterers in the health and welfare sector such as low funding and skilled staff shortages, coupled with an aging population, training like this is increasingly important and at Country Range Group we want to support this in any way we can.”