Do you pay attention to your residents’ suggestions?

Do your residents ever make a complaint or offer a suggestion about the food service? Do you take the time to listen? Or do you try to change their mind before they even finish saying what they have on their mind? It costs absolutely nothing to pause, stop what you are doing, look them in the eye, and listen. Whatever … Continue reading

Does your food serving team have a high EQ? Kind Dining Cindy Heilman

Does your food serving team have a high EQ?

Do you know what the most successful companies look for in an applicant when hiring? They seek a person with the combination of skills that enable a person to learn, relearn and relearn again. We know how rapidly changes are happening in our long-term care communities. Our industry has been experiencing major changes and upgrading of services. People with EQ … Continue reading

Kind Dining Chef

Is your community aware of the new trends in food service?

The latest trend towards cooking to order is setting assisted living community chefs and food serving teams on fire! Spring changes in the kitchen in food preparation and in the dining room in serving food have awakened creative culinary minds. The focus on utilizing local, fresh, and seasonal foods results in fresh food prepared of without increasing the food budget. … Continue reading

Are your employees familiar with experiential training?

Are your employees familiar with experiential training?

Finding a new approach to dining in Residential care communities while still keeping within the present budget has been introduced by trending chef leaders of creative community dining. Using fresh, local food supplies to serve on order ala restaurant-style dining is here and is doing well. Creative menus offer wholesome foods that taste as good as the food looks and … Continue reading

Do your food preparers

Do your menus reflect a food serving team that cares?

“When my husband and I decided it was time to move to a senior living community, the first thing I said was, ‘I’m going to miss going out to restaurants to dine.’” Mrs. Long was talking with her friend about her and her husband’s plans.  “As seniors, after struggling financially in the early years of marriage, building careers, raising the … Continue reading

Do your food servers encourage new residents?Kind Dining

Do your food servers encourage new residents?

  Many seniors will decide to leave their present home and make their new and final home in a senior or an assisted living community. This is a lifetime decision and not one that is made lightly. When keeping this in mind, your food servers have the power to reassure any hesitancy of these new residents. Incorporating kindness into their … Continue reading

Do your coworkers form friendships with residents?

After an exchange of comments about friendships in today’s world, this true story came to me: “UPS in my neck of the woods, otherwise called a neighborhood, many of us have formed an unusual friendship . . with the UPS driver! He is so friendly, considerate and kindly that even though we only know his first name, we all consider … Continue reading

Does your staff know socializing tends to improve a senior’s health?

Healthy people who enjoy living solo know when it is time to be social and mix with friends. Living in a senior living community makes it easy. All a resident needs to do is step outside their apartment home and head for the dining room or to a planned activity event. The dining room is the central location for socializing … Continue reading

Does your staff notice any residents feeling lonely in your community?

There are no reasons to be lonely when you live in an Independent or Assisted Living community. Yet many residents have become lonely despite being closely surrounded by others in their age range and various life-enrichment activities to appeal to their interests. Losing friends and family during the recent pandemic has impacted many, allowing a feeling of isolation to settle … Continue reading

Do your food preparers

Does your food serving team feel they belong in your organization?

“I know many people, women in particular, will stay home with a salad in front of them rather than eat in a restaurant alone. I am not one of those people. I love it because I hear the best stories by listening in on what is being said around me.”  A writer friend told me this recently. She is a … Continue reading