A taste of good living : the senior citizens' restaurant: anchoring point for a humanistic care philosophy

The adjustment from living on one’s own to moving into an assisted living facility is never easy for a senior. But as Hans M. Becker reveals in this important new study, a single additional amenity at a senior home—in this case a restaurant—can drastically improve life for its inhabitants. A restaurant can nurture a senior citizen’s appetite, mind, heart, and soul by creating a space where seniors feel comfortable in their community and among their friends, family, and caregivers. Becker advocates “humanistic care” that starts with the supposition that sharing memories is one of the vital ingredients for a happy and fulfilled old age. The senior citizens’ restaurant provides not only a forum to discuss the past, but means to stimulate memory. Complete with over 250 color photographs, A Taste of Good Living is both a practical guide for care professionals, teachers, volunteers, and family members who are interested in establishing a seniors’ restaurant and a convincing case for the importance of such social centers.

This book is a must-read for anyone contemplating to invest in innovation of contemporary elderly care institutions and nursing homes. It presents compelling arguments as to why a citizens' senior restaurant is such a powerful medium to enrich a senior citizen's mind, heart and soul. In its twelve chapters, lavishly illustrated with vivid colour photographs, you will learn about the important role citizens' senior restaurant can play as a place where elderly people can feel at home. They stimulate memories and serve as conversation pieces for the elderly, their family and their care-givers. The author outlines his unique and thought-provoking Humanistic Care philosophy, which presupposes that sharing memories is one of the vital ingredients for a happy and fulfilled old age. The book offers guidelines for care professionals, teachers, volunteers and family. Hans Becker (1942) served for twenty years as Chairman of the Board of the Humanistic Foundation Rotterdam and as Professor of Humanizing Care at the Utrecht university for Humanistics, the Netherlands.