Edmonton, AB
November 5, 2024
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.
3. Timely Feedback
What effective ways do you obtain timely feedback on meal satisfaction from staff/ residents/pt/family (outside of resident council mtg?)
2. Maximizing Choices
How do you maximize and provide daily meal & beverage choices at your healthcare community? Explain.
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. Tour of the world
2. Did fundraising event for call system
3. Recreation activities – keep residents involved
4. Residents choice meals
5. Holiday events – 5 star event in new foods
6. Inviting families to Thanksgiving
7. Anniversary of the community – invite families, bbq, food stations
8. Stampede party
9. Beer Pong
10. Arm chair travel – residents watch video about place and special menu item made
11. Christmas Tea/Gala – photo, gifts, snacks, family
12. Monthly Dinner – restaurant experience, family event, theme changes, special menu, passport for amenities
13. Seasonal Events / meals / community bbq / community participation
14. Iron Chef Competition – residents were engaged to prepare the dessert and judge
15. Monthly themed meal deals
16. Grand buffet pasta station
17. Prime rib carving station
18. Breakfast for lunch or supper
19. Celebrate international days
20. Carnival days, games, candy
21. Halloween – dress up, special foods
22. Harvest supper
23. Travel event – 3-4 times per year – one day – food / dances / education
24. Full week Christmas event – save on budget, exchange gifts, concerts
25. Indigenous recognition – introduce foods, orange shirt day, activities to celebrate culture – created pamphlet – information, engage with Elders
26. Truth & Reconciliation - Bison burgers, corn roast, hot dog roast –bring community together with a bonfire
27. Hawaiian Luau – roast pig / Hawaiian dancing – long days of Winter
28. Garden high tea for Mother’s Day
29. Western theme family night
30. Friends & Family BBQ
1.Event Success (cont’d)
34. Canada Day Patio Party
35. Summer outdoor BBQ
36. “Taste of Westview” – resident cultural dishes
37. Travelling treat / dessert cart
38. Personalized ice cream sundaes on Saturday
39. Resident and family consultation and food tasting when new menus come out
40. Food demonstrations with new ideas/items
41. Seafood theme
42. Prime Rib
43. High Tea
44. Senior’s week – Banana Split – Veggie Club
45. Father’s Day BBQ
46. Spaghetti dinner
47. Harvest Meal – bake sale and silent auction
48. Pub & Grub
49. Funeral services
50. Christmas buffet party
51. Omelet station made to order
52. Muffins made fresh in neighborhood
53. Surprise menu – get feedback from residents to plan menu
54. Friendship club – volunteers come in to do steak / turkey dinner
55. Adopt a senior – i.e. – Christmas time
56. Wellness night
57. Weekend continental breakfast
58. Daily soup available all day
2. Maximizing Choices
1. Comment cards
2. Special menu for events – foods not typically served
3. Variety of choices
4. Offer more than one choice at meals
5. Visible food and drink cart
6. A la Carte / selective menu
7. Record of likes and dislikes
8. Take pictures of meals and compile into binder for those residents with dementia – can point to their choices
9. Each resident has dietary card for their food preferences / dislikes / allergies
10. Salad bar – 40 items
11. Menu displayed on TV screen
12. Daily features
13. Trade show / vendor and distributor partnership to learn about new products
14. Two choices at all meals / SuzyQ Cart – each resident ask at each meal for beverage / food
15. Verbal communication on what to serve
16. Community specific menus with resident input – 9 week menu
17. Resident choice – our meals can be served anytime, no set breakfast menu, no assigned seating.
18. Self serve beverage and snack area
19. Resident has a bad day, maybe make one of their favourites
20. Let them pick drinks
21. My favourite foods – residents get something they love
22. Three week menu plan but always double choice for protein / veg
23. Two options on regular menu and five a la carte options
24. Sandwich bar
25. Choice of two proteins or both
26. Homemade goodies / baking
27. Themed dinners/desserts
28. Fan Favourite – Resident Choice
29. Chef’s Choice
30. Variety of juices / hot beverages – herbal tea
31. Flavoured water
32. Menu items posted – paper and TV channel / visual of menu items, seasonal menus, seasonal veg
33. Residents can ask for ethnic choices ahead of mealtime and cooks will prepare
34. Fridges in every household with many snack and beverage choices
35. Decentralized
2. Maximizing Choices
34. Family joining
35. Lemon mint water and different flavors at different times
36. Provide extra sandwiches as an option
37. Nourishment carts, put special items not on menu
38. Use up items like breadcrumbs in baking
3. Timely Feedback
1. Writing menu boards so they know what they are having.
2. Resident’s food requests – cook as requested
3. Speak to residents during and right after meals
4. Leader rounds
5. Surveys / suggestion box
6. Wastage audits
7. Surveys to family members via email
8. QR code
9. iPad utilization
10. Chef to mingle with residents
11. Open communication
12. Taste survey – always available, weekly sit down with residents
13. Monthly meeting – cook attends – ask for ideas/ feedback, resident council
14. Coffee with the Chef
15. Regular meal rounds
16. Food service feedback
17. Dine with residents for a week
18. All food service supervisors available for all meals
19. Talk to residents and staff at meals
20. When scraping plates, see what is not being eaten
21. Work with dietitian
22. Work with families
23. Meetings with patients, RDs, staff, unit manager, patient and satisfaction surveys with QR code to give feedback
24. Townhall meeting, twice monthly, dietary attends
25. Box and comment card on the table – score the cards
26. Focus groups & Chef’s feedback
27. Guests Surveys
28. Access to kitchen
29. New products – ask if they would like it again
30. Get appreciation feedback for staff
4. Best Practices
1. CSNM
2. Food safe certified
3. Public health
4. Communication book
5. Sysco Synergy website
6. Attending industry events such as today
7. Networking with industry peers
8. Participate in the audits
9. Seniors “The On-line Learning Centre” through ASCHA
10. Huddles / staff meeting – what’s working, what’s not working
11. Review WHS / HIAC’s
12. Digital communication
13. Customer services / offering choices
14. Committees – discussion with other departments
15. Residents always come first
16. Monthly hospitality meeting
17. Provide feedback & training
18. Provincial team sharing projects and change in practice
19. Provincial standards
20. Conferences
21. Supplier info
22. Empowering teams
23. Showcase team skills
24. Show pride in work
25. Visiting other sites
26. Visit non-AHS sites
27. Keep in touch with other sites / networking
28. Sysco events
29. Attending education & trade shows / working closely with our food reps
30. Social media
31. Collaborate with our partners
32. Coordinated menus
33. Listening to the wants and needs of the community
34. Annual education
35. Quarterly meetings
36. Leveraging interns
37. Education posters
38. Dietitians of Canada Best Practices for nutrition management
4. Best Practices (cont’d)
37. Food safety training
38. Canada Food Guide
39. Dietitian approval of menus
40. Cook with passion and love, remembering who you’re cooking for
41. Courses
42. Everyone has food safe
43. Meeting with staff – sharing success ( what’s working and provide kudos)
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
7. Communication
How do you bring “resident participation” into your meal service? (inside & outside of meal times) What communication tools do you use to reach folks regarding food service news?
8. Actual Birthday
How do you celebrate a resident/pt’s birthday on their actual day? Tell us exactly what you do.
5. Positive Changes
1. Salad Bar with daily salads
2. Regular menu changes
3. Training cooks to ensure proper prep and equipment use.
4. Food waste audits (residents surveys)
5. Resident participation
6. Home cooking rather than brought in pre-done products.
7. More fresh fruit and vegetables
8. Expanding menu / baking
9. Cultural preferences
10. Enhancing dining experience
11. Expanding the resident’s horizon – trying different foods
12. Change items semi-annually
13. Listen to feedback and make changes accordingly
14. Changing products, try something new
15. Trialing new cooking methods
16. Intoduce new items/flavours (Gyoza)
17. Balance of comfort food and new flavours
18. Communication of change is key to success
19. Cultural foods “Taste of Nations”
20. Seasonal foods and cook from scratch
21. Listen to your residents
22. Better protein options
23. Following recipes
24. Seating arrangements
25. Tasting panels
26. Chef feedback – in the moment
27. 90% made from scratch
28. 24 week menu
29. A la carte menu
30. Listen to the residents
31. Subsidize waste
32. Positive work environment
34. Use fresh not frozen
35. Batch cooking
36. Follow proper retherm / cooking / recipe instructions
37. Variety of vegetable blends
38. Holding times – cook closer to point of service – i.e. grilled cheese
6. Resident Participation
1. Fan Favs – resident’s choice
2. Recreation involved – baking, special meals, peeling vegetables
3. Making food, helping with perogies / cabbage rolls.
4. Making cookies with residents, cookie decorating
5. Bake sales
6. Recipes from the residents
7. Feedback cards
8. Resident Council
9. Baking programs
10. Bingo / games / gardening
11. Heritage days
12. Exercise mornings
13. Resident involvement in menu planning/prepping & cooking
14. Engage residents in setting table and clearing
15. Resident cooking programs
16. Coffee corner with residents to engage and gather feedback
17. Open door policy / communication
18. Family style dining
19. Flexible seating
20. Taste Test
21. Daily feedback
22. Resident cookbook
23. Leverage recreation team
24. Weekly BBQ’s
25. Resident gardens – incorporate into menus where possible
26. Allow residents to organize themselves, town hall meetings
27. Residents helping to set tables / clean up with rec therapy
28. Menu meetings
29. Open communication between kitchen & residents
30. Ask for recipes
31. Let them come to the kitchen to get their meal
32. Food bank
33. Resident technology
34. Bring resident in to make a meal
35. Salad or sandwich bar where they can make their own
36. Fruit bowl, yogurt, juice, cereal, all self-serve
7. Communication
1. Council meetings with family involved
2. Surveys – reaching people
3. One on one speaking with residents
4. Sharing at management meetings
5. QR code surveys
6. Menu boards, flip charts, white boards, memos, TV’s, newsletters
7. Table toppers
8. Verbal communication / written
9. Meal exchange forms
10. Pamphlets for communication
11. Monthly newsletter
12. Word of mouth
13. Staff – digital communication (Teams)
14. Food committee meeting
15. Posters / invitations
16. Guest meal tickets for families and communities to change the perception of what food is served in communities.
17. Chef’s table
18. Display TV’s with menus and feature upcoming events or board where TVs are not an option
19. Digital boards
20. Communication Books
21. Menu meetings
22. Open to requests from residents
23. Resident made magazine
24. Resident does daily announcements morning and noon.
8. Actual Birthday
1. Monthly birthday parties
2. Birthdays on calendar
3. Singing Happy Birthday
4. Pub nights – family comes in to celebrate
5. Delivering cake to rooms to ensure participation
6. Asking what cake they want for their birthday
7. Happy Birthday hats
8. Individual birthday cakes
9. Balloons
10. Birthday cards
11. Birthday settings (placemats, napkins)
12. Recognize if the person wants to be recognized
13. Newsletter / Day table toppers
14. Nice extras – i.e. – tablecloth
15. Stencil “Happy Birthday” and decorate each resident’s desserts
16. Birthday meal / drink of choice (beer)
17. Head table – decorate it and birthday is seated and celebrated
18. Balloon/card with all residents singing Happy Birthday
19. Invite families
20. Monthly entertainment
21. Decorate room door
22. Birthday notices posted on door or monthly board or elevator post
23. Activities calendar
24. Birthday wall
25. Birthday bags
26. Mayor comes in to take picture with the birthday people
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