Senior living services

Frequently asked questions about senior living services

• What services are included in senior living dining and hospitality?

  Senior living dining and hospitality can include daily meals, clinical nutrition, resident dining rooms, allergen management, housekeeping, environmental services, laundry, maintenance, and on-site service coordination. 

  Sodexo offers three integrated pillars of senior living services: daily dining and clinical nutrition, facilities management (housekeeping, environmental services, laundry, maintenance), and integrated on-site service management combining all of the above under a single coordinated delivery. Each pillar can be delivered individually or as a managed bundle, depending on the community's operating model.

• How do dining and nutrition services support wellbeing in senior living communities?

  Dining and nutrition services support residents’ wellbeing by providing balanced meals and menus adapted to individual needs and preferences. These services also create enjoyable dining experiences that contribute to comfort, health, autonomy, and overall quality of life.

• What is the difference between in-house dining and outsourced senior living food service?

  In an in-house model, the community directly employs the dining team and handles procurement, compliance and clinical nutrition expertise. In an outsourced model, a partner such as Sodexo takes operational responsibility while the community retains strategic oversight. Outsourcing typically brings pooled purchasing, embedded dietitian expertise, consistent IDDSI/HACCP standards across sites, and simplified regulatory readiness, while the community focuses on care.

• How does the transition from a previous provider to Sodexo work? 

  A typical senior living services transition runs over 8 to 16 weeks: initial audit of the site (kitchens, menus, current standards, staffing), staff onboarding (and TUPE-style transfer in markets where it applies), menu and clinical nutrition alignment, HACCP and allergen process integration, and a phased go-live. The priority is service continuity for residents, no rupture at mealtimes, no loss of familiar staff faces.

• How are managed dysphagia and texture-modified diets in senior living communities?

  Senior living communities should manage dysphagia with standardized texture levels, care-plan coordination, trained kitchen teams, and meals that remain visually appealing. The goal is safe swallowing support without reducing dignity at mealtimes. 

  At Sodexo, our chefs and dietitians work to the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) framework, with 8 standardized levels of texture-modified foods and drinks. Every modified meal is plated with the same visual care as a standard meal to preserve dignity. Speech and language therapists' recommendations on the resident's care plan are translated into the kitchen's daily production sheets. 

• How do you manage allergens and special dietary requirements in senior living dining?

  Each resident's allergen profile, religious requirements (kosher, halal) and dietary preferences (vegetarian, vegan, low-sodium, diabetic, renal) are recorded at admission and flagged across menus and tray service. Allergen management is aligned with local regulation, Natasha's Law in the UK, FALCPA in the US, with dedicated procedures for cross-contact prevention and staff training across every kitchen.

• How can dining support residents living with dementia? 

  Dining can support residents living with dementia by using calm spaces, familiar routines, adapted plateware, finger foods, hydration support, and gentle prompting. These practices help preserve appetite, autonomy, and dignity.

  Mealtime is a meaningful social and sensory moment for residents living with dementia. Sodexo’ approach combines dementia-friendly environments (contrasted plate-ware, calm dining spaces, familiar routines), finger food and adapted menu options for residents with reduced concentration or motor difficulties, and staff trained in gentle prompting techniques, with the goal of preserving appetite, hydration and dignity.

• How do you measure resident satisfaction with senior living dining services?

  We use a combination of regular satisfaction surveys (resident and family), mealtime observation by dietitians and managers, plate-waste monitoring, and structured feedback loops with the community's care leadership. Insights feed directly back into menu cycles and service adjustments, so resident voice shapes what is served and how.