What Up in Sunny Long Beach, Calif.?
May 2, 2010
Flying into sunny Long Beach California from Portland Oregon was smooth sailing. The weather is lovely, bright warm sunshine, slight breeze. I see bunches of swaying palm trees. I am here to co-present with Harold Urman at the Aging Services of California annual conference on Tuesday afternoon May 4 from 2:15-4:15. Our presentation is called, It’s Not Just a Meal Anymore. Harold will highlight research validating the competitive advantage of meeting resident dining expectations and I will share how to turn research into actions and improved server behaviors you can use tomorrow to improve hospitality and service in your communities. See you there!
Hospitality is the key…
March 19, 2009
I just read in a culture change newsletter about a community that has created a new title for dining staff called hospitality associates. This particular community is set up in neighborhoods, they adjusted breakfast dining times for a more leisurely approach ( 7am-9am) to allow residents flexibility in their morning routine. What they discovered in this process is that there was more time for staff to interact with residents on a one to one basis and genuinely connect. Read more
Servers: Nursing vs Foodservice
March 9, 2009
Are servers working in the nursing department as caring as the food service department staff about serving a meal? This question often tops the list of challenges in senior living communities., whether I’m working with a skilled nursing home, assisted living community, residential care community, or Continuing Care Community (CCRC).
A dining director in a CCRC remarked last week that servers from their nursing department (nurse aides) care about the residents, however many don’t care to learn new skills about meal service. She exacerbated, ” they don’t see a need to spend the time learning because they believe they already know everything about the residents”. Read more
