This past year the coronavirus took over, changed our lives and the way food servers perform their daily work. These food servers became heroes overnight along with many others in service positions. Knowing the importance of their presence in the community they didn’t stay home, call in sick or whine about long hours on the job. Food servers took ownership of their posts, accepted the additional responsibilities, and changed their routines and schedules to benefit the residents in the retirement and long-term care communities. When coworkers needed help, they were there to pitch in to keep the preparation and flow of meals being delivered to residents in their rooms. They gave extra time to communicate with those residents, reassuring them with personally carried local news, keeping them in the loop so they would not feel too isolated until new programs were set up to divulge information. The food serving teams spread kindness wherever they happened to be. Well-trained food servers easily adjusted to new roles as they carried positive thoughts and uplifted behavior with their presence.

At Kind Dining♥ we know the value of well-trained food servers and the difference they make in a community.  Good manners are basic to many of us but not to all. Some people need to be coached to set higher standards for themselves and be awakened to how kindness is given, spreads to create a happy atmosphere in the saddest situations. Patience for a senior, whose meds may be off or maybe struggling with aging, can be incorporated into one’s education. Learning how to assess a bullying situation and how to defuse it are all part of a trained food server’s knowledge. They know how to stop, look, listen and they have been brave enough to take on new challenges to attain a higher goal they have set for themselves through practice. Loving what they do has come to them with the assurance that they matter, to the residents, to the community, to their coworkers, and to themselves. Strong mealtime relationships with the seniors they serve and the food serving teams they are a part of, reflect on the community as a whole bringing recommendations to friends and families that your community is where they want to live.

Growth comes from forward-thinking leaders who are willing to put forth the effort of change even in the challenging, historical times we have managed to survive and actually improved on.

B♥ Kind ®Tip: You can take a leadership role by setting a good example today.