My 82-year-old mother had been sick for weeks. She thought she’d get better on her own, but when she finally went to the doctor, she learned she had double pneumonia.
This was not good news. Mom had pneumonia a few years back, which landed her in the hospital. This new round was taking a toll; she’d lost about ten pounds. With no appetite and little reserve weight to draw on to fuel recovery, her doctor prescribed a liquid supplement.
Being of a certain generation that rarely questions people in authority, mom dutifully bought the liquid supplement. After two bottles, she stopped drinking it. The reason was simple. She didn’t like the metallic tang in the flavor. So much for getting the added nutrition needed to recover from pneumonia!
Fortunately, I was home for a visit and got her some Thrive Ice Cream to “boost” her diet. Thrive was developed for the healthcare and senior living industries as a nutrition-packed alternative to existing supplements. Like these traditional liquid products, Thrive is high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and contains nutrient-dense calories.
But Thrive is very different than the liquid supplements typically prescribed. On the nutrition side, Thrive Ice Cream has ingredients liquid supplements don’t, including active probiotics that support digestive and immune health. It’s made from REAL® Dairy certified milk and cream. There are no hormones, no high fructose corn syrup, and no fillers like palm oil in Thrive. The fiber, flavors, and colors in Thrive are all natural.
Thrive has something the liquid supplements don’t: the taste and texture of real ice cream.
Don’t underestimate the power of ice cream. Even when a person is sick and doesn’t feel like eating, ice cream sounds goods and is likely to be consumed. Part of it is the flavor and creamy texture, but there’s also the emotional connection people have with ice cream that makes it more likely to be eaten.
Ask yourself why you enjoy ice cream. Likely there are clear associations like making ice cream on the 4th of July, eating cake and ice cream on a birthday, have a milk shake with a burger, rewarding yourself with a sundae, or consoling yourself with a pint of ice cream and a spoon. Each serving of Thrive Ice Cream sparks memories and experiences like these, making each spoonful of nutrition one that is savored.
This is not a crazy theory. Thrive has had customers who work in memory care units say that patients with dementia who show no interest in food light up at the sight of Thrive Ice Cream. One creative dietitian serves cups of Thrive with old-fashioned spoons made of thin wood. The cup and spoon is deep in the memories of many people, which makes getting people to eat Thrive Ice Cream as a meal supplement or replacement an easier task.
And, Thrive Ice Cream gets results. Recently, a woman wrote to us and shared how after Thrive was added to her elderly 
mother’s diet, the woman did so well she was moved from hospice back to memory care. The added nutrition gave the woman new energy, she brightened up physically and began talking again – this after basically giving up on food.
In a scientific study commissioned by Thrive, vulnerable seniors who were given Thrive as a supplement gained five times more weight than individuals given another common supplement. The control group, which received no supplements, lost weight.
My own mother readily accepted – and thoroughly enjoyed – the Thrive Ice Cream. She is diabetic and prefers the no sugar added Thrive. After a week of eating two servings of Thrive a day, her weight is coming back and she’s feeling much better. My dad, who doesn’t have pneumonia but loves dessert, is also enjoying the new regime.
Despite the fact that nutrition-packed Thrive Ice Cream works in terms of delivering nutrition and securing patient compliance, adoption of Thrive Ice Cream by hospitals and senior living facilities has not been as rapid as we like. One reason is that Thrive costs more than some of the other supplements.
Here’s what should be considered. If you’re purchasing cheaper liquid supplements that are served but not eaten, what good are they? Each time a bottled supplement is not consumed, unintended weight loss continues along with the risk of very costly complications.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend more to purchase Thrive Ice Cream that delivers better nutrition that traditional options, and is likely to be 100 percent consumed? The ROI – healthier, happier patients and residents better prepared to avoid complications – is obvious.
The Thrive Ice Cream sales team is attending Premier Breakthroughs, one of healthcare’s largest trade shows, this week in Washington, DC. We are passing out free samples to as many healthcare and senior living leaders as possible. They need a “boost” during the four-day show and hopefully they will share it with their patients, residents and organizations in the near future.
It’s just the “boost” these industries need to keep people eating much-needed supplements and enjoying it along the way.
If you’re in the healthcare or senior living industries and would like to learn more about adding Thrive Ice Cream to your nutritional line-up or would like to order online, visit our website.