Moncton, NB May 28, 2025
Four Questions (Part 1)
1.Event Success
What special food service events have you done in the past year that were a BIG hit? Tell us.
2. Maximizing Choices
How do you maximize and provide daily meal & beverage choices at your healthcare community? Explain.
3. Timely Feedback
What effective ways do you obtain timely feedback on meal satisfaction from staff/ residents/pt/family (outside of resident council mtg?)
4. Best Practices
How does your team stay up to date with Best Practices? What resources do you lean into the most? List
1.Event Success
1. week long cruise – Captain’s Supper “Paris”
2. barbecues and multicultural events - lobster supper, corn boil , tea party for Mother's Day , carnivals
3. Picnic during COVID with residents
4. harvest dinner
5. family / resident BBQ outdoors with activities food and performers
6. high tea party
7. spring fling for Mother's Day
8. Father's Day car show – pies and ties
9. lobster dinner
10. burger love
11. staff barbeque
12. themed meals – Olympics , hockey
13. Mardi Gras - food and parade
14. weekly barbecues
15. summer BBQ concerts outside
16. strawberry socials
17. make your own sundaes and salads
18. lobster rolls
19. 12 days of Christmas
20. candlelit Christmas dinner
21. Mother's Day lunch with fine China – each resident brought a family member –special desserts
22. fine dining event
23. recipes from residents
24. theme nights
25. Bringing in special food items - seasonally (local) – lobster , fiddle heads , corn boil , blueberry season , strawberry season
26. birthday meals with special options such as lobster cake cupcakes steak spaghetti etc
27. holiday meals such as Shrove Tuesday Valentine's Day Acadian Day
28. monthly specials
29. Cook’s choice and resident’s choice
1.Event Success (cont’d)
30. Car show with barbecue and donations
31. Valentine's candle dinner with spokes
32. volunteer recognition – casino night theme with apps and drinks
33. large family Christmas dinner
34. give family coupon to each resident
35. Take residents to fishing trip
2. Maximizing Choices
1. Asking for food preferences
2. utilizing tablets
3. cyclical menus (three-week, three-week, four week )
4. seasonal changes to menus
5. hydration cart
6. Keurig station
7. 4-5 week menu rotation
8. summer menu
9. Christmas menu options
10. bedside ordering
11. juice or beverage cart
12. snack cart
13. posting menus prior to mealtimes
14. main meal choice plus soup and sandwich
15. ask for resident’s feedback while building the menu
16. meal visits (hospital)
17. selective menu
18. likes and dislikes sheet
19. offer leftovers from day before
20. multiple meal options (soup and sandwich)
21. bedside ordering for acute care
22. Alternatives – dietary staff to let us know
23. open communication with residents and patients
24. main menu plus alternative protein choice with alternative frozen options, beverage choices , two meal choices
25. main entree with two other choices but others like soup and sandwich which is always available
26. easy grab and go items
27. include personalized menus
3. Timely Feedback
1. monthly surveys (dietetic interns)
2. family feedback with surveys (annually)
3. open door policy for feedback
4. meal rounds to receive immediate feedback
5. meal audits
6. waste audits
7. verbal feedback
8. resident council
9. direct family feedback
10. Staff – on-line choices
11. patience satisfaction survey on tablets
12. meal feedback forms
13. ask for feedback
14. Cooks talk to residents and dining room or wings
15. dietitian gets feedback in discussions
16. being present during meals
17. mealtime observations
18. satisfaction survey
19. asking family and residents directly
20. get feedback from residents and service staff
21. being visible
22. multidisciplinary meeting with families
23. QR code with suggestions with marketing through Facebook
24. meal audits and RT visits
25. activity coordinator asks residents
26. always have a suggestion box
27. check with families
28. during staff meetings
29. real time texts from staff
4. Best Practices
1. food reps, attending food shows
2. CSNM
3. Sysco emails
4. Dietitians of Canada Network
5. education days
6. nursing home associations (AGM)
7. safe food handlers
8. In-services on texture modification and thickened fluids 9. conferences and workshops
10. newsletters
11. webinars
12. networking
13. direct feedback
14. Sysco events
15. education days
16. Canadian Nutritionist Society
17. Malnutrition Task Force
18. other homes – sharing info
19. Complete Purchasing
20. communication encourages best practices
21. feedback helps keep up to date
22. communication from Sysco on in services and products
23. conferences
24. CPS webinars
25. Gerontology Network
26. consult with dietitians
27. Sysco website
28. network with counterparts
29. conferences and staying connected with peers
30. PEN and regional networking events
31. rounds with multidisciplinary
32. taking interns
33. DC conference best practice document
34. national standards
35. accreditation Canada
4. Best Practices (cont’d)
36. resident centred approach to care
37. on going training
Four Questions (Part 2)
5. Positive Changes
What positive changes have you made in the quality of food service in the past year?
6. Resident Participation
How do you bring “resident participation” into your meal service? (inside & outside of mealtimes)
8. Actual Birthday
How do you bring dignity to texture modified diets (not the “3 scoop special”) within your serving time restraints?
How do you celebrate a resident/pt’s birthday on their actual day? Tell us exactly what you do.
7. Puree Meals
5. Positive Changes
1. Seasonal cooking - buy fresh and local
2. improve feedback - table rotations
3. Changing systems – less mistakes
4. making seasonal and homemade items
5. take down plexiglass to help aroma spread
6. baking is done in oven closest to the dining room so smell travels
7. React to feedback
8. add more variety
9. Fresh fruit and veg with all meals
10. change menu based on feedback
11. presentation and plating standards - eliminate watery veg
12. stay away from convenience foods
13. cook from scratch recipes
14. Fresh in season foods
15. cooking from scratch instead of boxed foods
16. trying new recipes
22. Cooks proactive change from frozen to fresh three times a week - always fresh
23. pairing menu options a bit better
24. CBORD – bedside ordering – shorter time between menu ordering
25. investment in new equipment
26. menu changes – seasonal changes
27. special events local products
28. clfresh seasonal and local
6. Resident Participation
1. resident council feedback
2. Discussions
3. one-on-one discussions
4. Resident judges panel with new items
5. Christmas or harvest dinner that residents help prepare
6. get residents to help with items such as snapping beans
7. resident council meetings
8. ask for in to consider suggestions
9. survey before making menu changes
10. communication between departments
11. outside during barbecues
12. have activities where residents can cook and garden
13. corn husking activity for residents
14. many requests from residents
15. Communication
16. Offered two choices
17. many feedback
18. birthday dinner choose special item for my list
19. cleaning prep foods such as rhubarb and smelts
20. staying in communication with residents
21. baking days
22. help prep food such as carrots and potatoes and whole strawberries
23. cleaning tables
24. carnival dump tank
25. walking challenge OT – winners could choose a meal
26. regional menus – patient input on meals they enjoyed
27. resident cookbook
28. cutie one regular staff and residents help prepare meal
29. open communication in resident council
30. cooking classes
31. patient participation in menu decisions
32. resident garden and use veggies for meals
33. pickling with help from staff
34. baking activities
Puree Meals
1. different shapes using silicone molds
2. preformed molds
3. apetito meals
4. smoothie and soups that everyone gets so it's the same
5. purchase shaped purees
6. puree home cooked meals – adds variety
7. use different colours
8. food shaped puree
9. use of garnishing and sauces
10. use different plates and prevent mixing
11. layering in a dish
12. Use piping bags
13. puree soups and stews
14. dividers and plate presentations - use coloured ramekins
15. separate utensils
16. taking the time to explain what each portion of food is – conduct feeding training with new staff - feeding with dignity
17. distinct colours and puree separately - i.e. – spaghetti and sauce
18. as near to the regular menu as much as possible
19. divided plates – shaped broccoli
20. same items as other guests but pureed
Actual
1. birthday cupcakes
2. monthly celebrations
3. decorate bedroom doors with balloons and décor
4. special birthday dessert for residents
5. handmade cards from local clubs such as the girl guides
6. special placemats with cupcake and all staff sing happy birthday in the dining room at noon
7. decorate their room when they're asleep so they wake up to it and keep a tote stored with all the decorations
8. birthday napkins and cake in hospital
9. make a small cake
10. birthday muffins
11. birthday cupcake and sing happy birthday with a candle
12. keep a list of dates to remember all birthdays
13. meatloaf cupcake with potato icing
14. special meal requests
15. catering room for family meals
16. special menu
17. cupcake or special dessert for a group
18. send a birthday card with the meal
19. balloons and signage
20. timing of meals service
21. private room seat 16 to 18 with music (piano) in singing
22. choice of what they would like
23. Ask resident , take request and cook will make meal as long as it can be made in house . Will use special napkins at TOS and team will also sing happy birthday
24. cake on the day, fancy napkins and or placement - sing to them on the day
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