This pilot project will test a new patented Meal Card/Menu Board System's practicality and adaptability for use in long term health care facilities. Testing of the prototype will require the consent of the administration of the nursing homes involved in this project, to modify their current menu planning techniques. Implementation requires the establishing of a resident's menu planning committee in each test center which will determine the menu cycle for each month at it's facility. The purpose of the Meal Card/Menu Board System is: to enhance the use of seasonal foods in menus; to make the accommodation of modified diets more cost effective; to improve the nutrient density of the residents' meals; and to decrease costly plate waste. Twenty-to-thirty volunteer residents will participate in completing pre-post test questionnaire assessing their perceptions of their quality of life (QOL). Pre-post test plate waste data will be collected on each volunteer participant to accurately monitor total food consumption patterns. Data will be analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), and the student's t-test for significance. Analyzed data from this pilot study will be used to modify the prototype Meal Card/Menu Board System in preparation for national testing (Phase II).
