A care home chain’s created a thirst-quenching, thickened tea blend – to stop residents with dementia or Parkinson’s breathing in and coughing up their hot drinks. Dysphagia is the medical term given to difficulty swallowing, a common symptom for older people, especially those living with dementia, Parkinson’s and many other conditions.
Those living with dysphagia need a modified diet with thickened liquids, to slow them passing down the throat giving your body more time to protect the airway – and stop patients breathing in while drinking and liquids entering the lungs. The NHS explains: “Thickening a fluid can slow down its transit time through the mouth and throat which may help achieve a safer swallow for those with dysphagia.”
But thickening tea can make the brew taste foul, so Care UK has developed an industry-first brew in partnership with Tea From The Manor, to boost the cuppa-drinking experience of residents with dysphagia.
The new Care UK ‘Next Level Tea’ range will include four flavours soon be available in all their 165 homes, to support residents’ hydration while ensuring a refreshing beverage without compromising on taste.
Flavours include green tea and mint, red berry, English breakfast, and Earl Grey, with the fruit and herbal teas decaffeinated for residents’ comfort and health.
The teas were painstakingly developed by Care UK’s hotel services manager and nutrition expert Andrew Mussett alongside James Green, the founder of Tea From The Manor.
Andrew told the Daily Express: “From our research, we know most residents switch to coffee when they enter care homes.
“We think this is due to personal preference – care homes may not carry a resident’s favourite brand of tea, for example.
“I used knowledge gained over many years about baking, flavours, and beverages in the tea’s development. With James’ expertise, we were able to create a series of teas that brew more quickly than regular teas.
“This means even with the additional time needed to ensure that the tea is thickened to the correct level, the liquid remains hot.
“It was important to us that the teas maintained their strong aroma to help promote the flavour. Usually, once the thickener is added, this is lost, but we’re pleased that this is not the case here.”
The thickened brew idea was born after the National Care Catering Awards 2024, when Andrew’s colleague Care Catering Hero Award Anna Sudak, made him consider the drink options.
Anna, head chef at Care UK’s Montfort Manor, had adopted a thickened liquid diet to put herself in residents’ shoes and assess her catering – but found they failed to leave her refreshed.
Andrew added: “Now there is an acidic bottom note to all of our blends, meaning they are the perfect palate cleanser for residents and the teas leave them feeling refreshed.
“Around 21 per cent of residents need thickened fluids to drink safely. That’s why the creation of these teas is so important – to make sure that residents still have access to something they find enjoy drinking.
“While milkshakes, smoothies and fruit lassis are popular across our homes, you just can’t beat a good cup of tea!”
James Green, founder of Tea From the Manor, supplies blends to some of the best hotels, restaurants, cafes and care homes in the country.
His passion for tea began after serving in the British Army and being stationed in Hong Kong with the Gurkhas, who taught him more about real tea.
To further celebrate this week’s Nutrition and Hydration Week and the joys of tea, Care UK homes across the UK are participating in a series of fun and educational activities.
For more information on Care UK’s Next Level Tea and to find out more about the activities visit www.careuk.com/next-level-tea