Special dim sum created for elderly folk with swallowing difficulties

90 nursing home residents part of pilot that served up soft-meal dishes

- Shermaine Ang

Most days, Madam Elizabeth Low, 85, is given pureed food or a milk supplement for her meals at the nursing home she stays in.

But on Oct 23, for the first time she could remember, she had a "yum cha" menu of siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), har gow (shrimp dumplings) and chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes), topped off with pandan cake and tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) for dessert.

The senior, who has a sweet tooth, polished off the pandan cake in seconds. She has moderate dementia and swallowing difficulties.

"I love it," said Madam Low, who stays at The Salvation Army's Peacehaven Nursing Home in Upper Changi. Asked if she wants to have such a meal every day, she said: "If they can."

Madam Low was among 90 nursing home residents who took part in a pilot programme by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and a Hong Kong social enterprise, The Project Futurus. The organisations teamed up to prepare soft-meal versions of familiar local dishes, ensuring that the food items retain their original shape and flavour while being easy to swallow.