Table 1.
Characteristics of the LTC homes for each province in the M3 study
| Province | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Ontario | |
| Home Sector, % (n) | ||||
| For-profit | 50.0 (4) | 37.5 (3) | 12.5 (1) | 25.0 (2) |
| Non-profit | 50.0 (4) | 62.5 (5) | 87.5 (7) | 75.0 (6) |
| Age of home in years, mean (range) |
28.6 (4–51) |
35.4 (14–70) |
34.9 (5–47) |
25.9 (11–59) |
| Number of beds per LTC home, mean (range) |
151.5 (100–226) |
161.9 (57–233) |
87.3 (50–200) |
138.9 (84–238) |
| Menu cycle length in weeks, median (range) |
4 (3–4) |
3 (3–5) |
4 (3–6) |
4 (3–5) |
| Last full revision of the menu, % (n) | ||||
| Less than 6 months | 50.0 (4) | 75.0 (6) | 75.0 (6) | 87.5 (7) |
| 6–12 months | 37.5 (3) | 25.0 (2) | 12.5 (1) | 12.5 (1) |
| 13–18 months | 12.5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| More than 18 months | 0 | 0 | 12.5 (1) | 0 |
| Menu planning based on Canada’s Food Guide (CFG), % (n) | 100.0 (8) | 100.0 (8) | 100.0 (8) | 100.0 (8) |
| Menu planning based on other guidelines§, % (n) | 37.5 (3) | 12.5 (1) | 12.5 (1) | 37.5 (3) |
| Dietitian time (hours per week), mean (range) |
22.5 (15.0–37.5) |
21.8 (7.5–38.8) |
13.8 (0–37.5) |
16.6 (7.0–35.0) |
| Raw food cost ($ per resident/day), mean (range) * |
7.50 (6.10–8.3) |
7.80 (6.20–9.00) |
7.20 (6.30–7.90) |
8.50 (7.30–12.50) |
| Methods of food preparation primarily used, % (n) | ||||
| Traditional/conventional system | 62.5 (5) | 50.0 (4) | 62.5 (5) | 100.0 (8) |
| Ready prepared system (bulk or individual reheat) | 0 | 25.0 (2) | 37.5 (3) | 0 |
| Both methods used a | 37.5 (3) | 25.0 (2) | 0 | 0 |
| Proportion of food production is commercially prepared b, median (range) |
10.0 (2–70) |
30.0 (20–100) |
15.0 (2–60) |
10.0 (0–30) |
| Production of modified texture foods in the home, % (n) | ||||
| Modified from regular texture in home | 37.5 (3) | 50.0 (4) | 37.5 (3) | 62.5 (5) |
| Purchased all modified texture food | 12.5 (1) | 12.5 (1) | 25.0 (2) | 0 |
| Both methods used c | 50.0 (4) | 37.5 (3) | 37.5 (3) | 37.5 (3) |
| Recipes are available for modified textures prepared from the regular texture, % (n) ** | ||||
| Yes | 25.0 (2) | 37.5 (3) | 25.0 (2) | 75.0 (6) |
| Only some items | 37.5 (3) | 25.0 (2) | 37.5 (3) | 25.0 (2) |
| No | 25.0 (2) | 25.0 (2) | 12.5 (1) | 0 |
Descriptive statistics were used to compute means for continuous variables and frequencies for the categorical variables. Numerical and ordinal data are mean (standard deviation) and median where appropriate. Categorical and ordinal data are % (n). Total n = 32, where * n = 27 and ** n = 28
§Other guidelines for menu planning in addition to using Canada’s Food Guide include: LTC accommodation standards, LTC homes act, Dietitians of Canada menu planning, home specific guidelines
aBoth methods used = traditional/conventional and ready prepared systems used
bProportion of food production is commercially prepared with no further preparation needed
cBoth methods used = modified from regular in-home & purchased