Lyngblomsten Wins 2015 Innovation Award
On Thursday, February 12, Lyngblomsten of St. Paul received the 2015 Leading Change Innovation Award from LeadingAge Minnesota for their new web-based software tool, eMenuCHOICE™. The Innovation Awards recognize and showcase the very best innovative programs and ideas from older adult service providers with the intent of reimagining the aging experience.
The award was presented at the annual LeadingAge Minnesota Institute, a premier three-day conference held at the RiverCentre in St. Paul for older adult service providers and professionals in Minnesota. Nearly 4,000 professionals in all aspects of older adult services attended this conference to learn, share, and network.
Lyngblomsten has provided healthcare, housing, and services for older adults since 1906, and their focus has been consistent: to enhance the quality of life for older adults. Innovations, like their most recent one―eMenuCHOICE, help achieve this mission.
Lyngblomsten’s eMenuCHOICE is a custom-designed web-based software tool created to assist long- term care residents and senior housing tenants in selecting their meals from a list of menu options. The technology enables person-centered care―streamlining a necessary and important process while empowering residents to participate in a key activity of daily living: choosing what to eat for their meals.
More than a list, the menu option items include photos, written descriptions and audio descriptions so that with the help of a caregiver, the resident can make an informed choice about their meal options. Additional features of eMenuCHOICE that are helpful in long-term care include photos of the residents, diet restriction information, and notes about individual preferences. Lyngblomsten Food Production Manager Sue Severance commented, “I love seeing the residents’ pictures because I don’t usually get to see the residents themselves.”
In addition to promoting person-centered choices, eMenuCHOICE also streamlines dietary management across the organization from the food service side of operations. The tool has proven successful in resident satisfaction and operational streamlining and cost savings.
