A friend of a friend who is a food server in a senior living community in the East told me about Mary’s early experience moving into the community about five years after her husband passed away. She timidly stepped into a busy dining room for the first time, glanced around to see all the tables occupied. Robert looked up just as she entered the room, saw her dilemma and immediately stood up, went to her and invited her to sit at his table where there happened to be one seat available. Their conversation over lunch revealed many shared likes in activities. Mary thanked him, explaining that she knew no one at all in the community even though it had been recommended to her by a friend who also planned to move into the community within the following year. Robert was delighted with their conversation at the table and suggested they meet for the dinner hour, too. He could then tell her about the many events and activities offered at her new home. He later said how lucky he was the host who usually greeted seniors at the door, was called away and not there when Mary entered.
As you may have sensed, after a year of spending nearly every day together, their wedding was organized in the community, surrounded by friends and family.
Their story isn’t the only one my friend told me. She mentioned the friendships formed that became bonding and lasting. Sometimes it comes about by sharing a talent such as painting, quilting, or a passion for reading and talking about books. What brought her to tell my friend about the importance of these seniors finding new relationships were they met in the dining room! It was the relaxed atmosphere of being at the table together, ‘breaking bread’ as the saying goes, embracing the rituals of a mealtime. It is an easy way to come to know someone without anxiety or stress.
Recorded stories revealing the pleasures of dining go centuries back in history. Kind Dining® training teaches your food servers how they can improve dining room pleasure for your residents and for your food serving staff. Happy relationships formed between residents can be a result in proper training for food servers. Building strong relationships among the food serving staff to better perform duties, by interacting, make their learning easier and permanent. Kind Dining® training results in teamwork coming from the friendly relationships of your food serving staff.
Our B♥ Kind® Tip: Remember, the service you give has the power to build lasting relationships between seniors and between the food serving staff contributing to a happier community.