Howard Gleckman, author of Caring for Our Parents recently made an important point on his blog recently: When shopping for assisted living, it’s all about the aides. “Forget about the wood paneling, and fresh flowers in the lobby,” he says, “watch the interaction between staff and residents.” He’s right. The biggest indicator of satisfaction with a senior care community is … Continue reading
Category Archives: Resident Centered Dining Service
Long-term care staffing shortages and crippling rates of turnover have been a part of our industry for so long many people believe “this is just the way it is” in senior care. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 11 to 20% of long-term care jobs are vacant and the situation is expected to get worse now that the baby boom generation … Continue reading
According to The Joint Commission, 33% of Medicare/Medicaid-certified long-term care providers are failing to meet basic hand-washing guidelines. As the poster says, we all know better. Dirty hands spread disease. Five common ways germs are spread: Nose, mouth, or eyes to hands to others Hands to food Food to hands to food Infected child to hands to other children: Animals … Continue reading
Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable and sustainable food. Organize a Food Day event or special meal at your community on Thursday, October 24, 2013! Don’t forget to share some pics of the occasion on our Facebook page; we love hearing from you! … Continue reading
National Health Observances (NHOs) are a great time to educate residents and staff about health issues and healthy choices. The only problem is, finding out what is being celebrated when in time to do something about it! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services makes it easy at Healthfinder.gov/NHO/. They have a calendar of monthly observances and lots of … Continue reading
All the recent emphasis on resident-centered care, liberalizing diets, and implementing QAPI has many food and nutrition professionals wondering, “What is my role in all this?” In some ways, we will be doing what we’ve always done: working to help people understand the connection between nutritious food and good health. In other ways, we’re being challenged like never before to … Continue reading
The evidence is mounting: what we do in the dining room matters a lot. Good nutrition is a key factor in health outcomes and how well people feel day to day. But, lifelong habits and changes related to aging can make it difficult for older people to eat as well as they should. Recently there have been a number of … Continue reading
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. –John Quincy Adams How have you inspired your team mates to dream more, learn more, or do more when serving residents? Share your Kind Dining® leadership stories in the comments section. … Continue reading
It’s no secret there is a culture change in progress within the senior living industry. Resident-centered care is on everyone’s mind lately. Market and regulatory demands are pushing us all toward liberalizing diets and deinstitutionalizing our communities, our care plans, and our relationships with our residents. To succeed in the future, senior care providers must embrace community building and empower … Continue reading
I’ve received a series of e-mails from the daughter of a couple who live in a beautifully decorated “upscale” community. She wrote asking for help to improve dining in the community her parents pay to live in: My mother and father are residents of a CCFT. Mother is in independent living and my father is in assisted living. They dine … Continue reading