a memory care facility and nursing home in Mankato, Minn. Activities staffer Jessica Abbott gathers half a dozen older women at a counter in the dining area, where the soundtrack is mostly music ...

Rendering of a nursing home dining area with spaced tables and outlines for where residents should sit. (Courtesy RLPS Architects) One major difference between the restaurant and retail design ...

Nursing homes have seen the negative effects of lessened social interaction in one specific area: Food consumption. Without dining halls full of residents, residents have stopped eating as much.

Culture change has been shown to improve nursing home residents’ depressive symptoms and dining experience, according to a recently released study by the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMASS Boston.