The story came to me about a couple who needed to resettle into an assisted living community where they could get the best care. Both of them had Alzheimer’s, at the same level of memory loss. Their son was alarmed, knowing that many communities right now are working with reduced staff, fearing that would endanger his parents with exposure to the Covid 19 and its variants. Their daughter did some research and found that long-term living communities are the safer places for their parents, especially now. The community she chose as the most suitable one for them has struggled like most with the pandemic for the last two years. They now have their protections in place, alternative schedules ready to revert to if a new variant is threatening. Their staff has attended recent training sessions that bring them up-to-date with the latest defenses against the Covid virus and its variants. That mention of current training caught her eye, knowing that well-trained staff is most important in times of stress, reduced labor attendance, and threats of any contagious virus. The recent training sessions translated into a reliable team for her. It impressed her.

The daughter spoke to different members of the food serving team at various times, catching them on the fly, asking questions, and seeking on-the-spot answers. She found them caring, competent, and knowledgeable about person-centered attention. She was delighted. This was where her parents would be safest and content. They would receive what they needed, healthcare that came with a good dose of hospitality. Her brother trusted her judgment and her research methods. He was relieved of worries about his father tending to household repairs, sidewalk clearings, and being fearful of his father’s incapability toward household maintenance. The decision was made, and both parents were happily ensconced in the assisted living community, where an entire team was looking after them. They would benefit socially, have primary care close by, and continue to have a meaningful life.

Kind Dining♥ training focuses on and includes servers from nursing/health services, care staff, housekeeping departments, their managers, and full-time food service providers. Residents who experience high-quality food service are overall contented and happy. Mealtimes are still the points of the day they look forward to enjoying. Happy residents draw in other residents. The dining hours are an opportunity to build the community’s reputation. Your food servers are powerful company assets. Build on that thought and invest in your food serving teams for a higher return on each trained food server. Choose the training program designed to assist companies who do not have the time or resources to create their training program—enhancing Senior Living hospitality and healthcare.

B♥ Kind Tip: Does your company lack a good training program for all food servers?