When I was manager of a retirement/assisted living/dementia care facility, one of the biggest challenges we had was providing high quality meals that the residents would enjoy. As you can imagine, the various dietary needs were multiple not to mention the indivual tastes of over 125 people! The number one complaint on any given day would center around the food and it was an area we spent a lot of time and effort on getting right.
One of the things I learned and tried to get the family and residents to understand, was that various medications change a person's taste buds. Although it could be true that our recipe for chicken soup wasn't as good as theirs, it was also true that the flavors they were experiencing were not the same as those of other people who were on different medications. Until they trusted me, new residents thought I was making excuses for the chef and cooks!
Since being on medications this last little while, I am getting to experience that food doesn't taste the same as it once did. Flavors aren't as bright or bold and food I used to enjoy I can now take or leave. This isn't a bad thing necessarily; it's just very strange. I share this for those of you who have a loved one in assisted living or some other type of care facility or who cook for a loved one who's taking medications.
If your family member is in a facility and complains about the food, check it out yourself by having a few meals with them. Realize the food might be just fine - it could be your family member's ability to taste and enjoy food has changed. Same thing with your own cooking. Play around with different herbs and spices to discover some new ways to help them enjoy their meals as much as possible.
And remember: this is a changing world. Nothing stays the same for long. Happiness comes from riding the surf board over whatever waves show up - not demanding different waves!
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