Higher Standards

Mark Dougherty Wins Hospitality for Boomers

Cindy Heilman — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:17:11 +0000

Just for clicking “Like” on the Higher Standards Facebook page this week, Mark Dougherty wins a copy of Hospitality for Boomers: How to attract residents, retain staff, and maximize profitability. Thanks so much, Mark, for being a fan of Higher Standards; your book is on its way.

Do you like Higher Standards? Pop over to Facebook to let us know. We’re giving away a copy of Hospitality for Boomers to one lucky attendee of this week’s webinar, Winning at Dining. We’ll announce the winner on the Higher Standards Facebook page.

Want a copy of Hospitality for Boomers for yourself or your staff? Order today and save 15%!

3 Ways to Advocate for Higher Standards in Your Dining Room

Cindy Heilman — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:50:43 +0000

This week, the health care industry celebrates National Patient Advocacy Week (April 9th – 13th), which started me thinking about how senior living communities can advocate on behalf of residents for higher standards in the dining room.

Here are three easy tips for fostering hospitality and service improvement in your community:

Shift your service focus to put residents’ needs first—and encourage your dining service team to do so as well.
Teach your staff the importance dining has for the overall health and well-being of the community.
Share your copies of Kind Dining® Connection with your staff. The Be Kind tips are perfect for passing out to servers or posting in the break room. The Activities Director or Dining Manager will appreciate the Table Tip. News and best practices articles will be helpful to managers and team leads.

Reader Letter: Dad and the Mystery Mush

Cindy Heilman — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:14:49 +0000

Dear Cindy,

No mystery mush for me, please.

Your recent Kind Dining® Connection article, Mechanical Art Comes of Age, brought to mind a situation with my Dad that happened 4 years ago when he was in the physical rehab center.

They brought him his meal; we couldn’t identify it. We could see it was some sort of pureed protein mush in a heap. Hot dogs were on the menu. He tasted it. Sure enough, hot dog.

I said, “Dad, why are they pureeing your food?”

He said, “I don’t know; it’s been that way since I got here. That nurse I don’t like walked into my room and said, ‘I need to see your teeth.’ So, I showed her my teeth. And my food has always arrived pureed.”

My Dad could chew just fine with his teeth, although he was missing some teeth (we got him dentures not long after).

So I asked, “Well, did she ask you if you had problems chewing?”

“No,” Dad said.

“Were you eating pureed food at the hospital? Could the doctor have sent this order?” I pressed.

“No, I had regular food at the hospital,” Dad said, “She’s the only one who has ever given me pureed food.”

Needless to say, I tracked down someone who could change my Dad’s orders to regular food, but I was shocked a nurse would just look in his mouth, never ask him, and then make the decision to send pureed food.

Also, according to Dad, pureed hot dog is really disgusting.

Keep up the good work, Cindy. Our beloved elders need us to raise dining service standards in our healthcare and senior living communities.

LLF

It’s National Doctor’s Day

Cindy Heilman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:26:55 +0000

Hug Your Doctor Today!

According to the National Doctor’s Day Organization, National Doctors’ Day is celebrated every year on March 30th to recognize the work of doctor’s do to serve our country by caring for our citizens.

You can learn more at DoctorsDay.org.

American Diabetes Association Alert Day

Cindy Heilman — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:23:02 +0000

Learn more about the signs, dangers, and treatment of diabetes from the American Diabetes Association and be sure to take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test – it’s free, it’s fast, it’s easy, and it might just save your life!

Did you know: How you eat is one of the most important factors in controlling diabetes and preventing type 2 diabetes? So be kind to yourself with your dining! The American Diabetes Association has some great recipes to help you get started.

New eyes’ for nursing homes through QIS in Long-Term Living Magazine

Cindy Heilman — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:16:32 +0000

Even when putting resident needs first is a clear intention, it may take new eyes to see where and how transforming change must occur.

My latest e-article for Long-Term Living Magazine, New Eyes’ for Nursing Homes Through QIS, talks about the new QIS expectations and how to take a fresh perspective in your senior living community.

How about you? What do you see when you look around your senior living community? Are better relationships being built? Are you defining and achieving higher standards of service quality? Are you educating staff about new skills and responsibilities?

I’d love to hear about your challenges and successes. Feel free to post your stories below in the comments section.

Hospitality and Leadership in the Dining Room

Cindy Heilman — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:49:54 +0000

Don’t miss Hospitality and Leadership the Dining Room, published January 31st in Long-Term Living Magazine, to learn more about:

Training front line servers
Improving your bottom line
Breaking down barriers

Looking for hospitality training? 100 people experienced Kind Dining® in January, here are 6 of the top comments:

Cindy Heilman — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:32:29 +0000

1. I enjoyed being here….. I learned something I never thought of. Cindy made it interesting in a way that made me listen and learn.
2. Lots of good information for all levels of staff.
3. Cindy was really able to keep the groups attention by having us interact. I really liked that..it was informative and brought clarity on several unclear procedures.
4. I am impressed. Although I did dislike having to leave my office… Once I was here I appreciated the class. “I am a person who can be a little hard to convince” .{“change in dining is comin”}
5. The class was very informative. I walked away with a little more knowledge of dining and services and tools we need to make a better experience for residents and guests of my community.
6. This is a great program and everyone benefits from it. We take our residents for granted and the only thing they ever want is a smile, hello, and thank you.

I enjoy teaching Kind Dining (hospitality and customer service) workshops and helping community staff at all levels learn new skills to implement right away which improves their service at mealtimes. I will be sharing more about my recent experience in St. Louis, working with Bethesda Health Group Inc. A company which is bringing Higher Standards of service to their residents, through skill development and relationship building of their staff. Read more in my next Kind Dining® Connection newsletter…

January 2012 Kind Dining Connection

Cindy Heilman — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:00:27 +0000

Read the January 2012 issue of Kind Dining® Connection for:

Ways to foster community in the dining room, especially for single residents
A Kind Dining® success story that will warm your heart
Ideas for winter table centerpieces
A new B♥ Kind, B♥ Courteous, B♥ Service Smart tip
And much more!

Would you like to have Kind Dining® Connection delivered straight to your inbox for free? Click here to subscribe.

Leave No ‘Odd Man Out’ at the Dining Table in Long-Term Living

Cindy Heilman — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:31:00 +0000

After recently teaching my dining class in a senior care community, I had an illuminating conversation with a resident. During the class I had mentioned that staff and administrators should learn the importance of setting the table mindfully. This resident shared her frustration in seeing all the tables in her dining room set with even numbers of place settings. She described her discouragement looking for a place to sit, feeling herself “the odd man out,” even when no one was seated at the table. [read more at Long-Term Living Magazine]