the "marketing" and "tour presentation"
Picture, if you will,
Reality Dining:
Dining begins and service ends at a set time.
statements for many Long Term Care facilities.
First area of "inspection" -- DINING.
Dining As It Appears:
First area of "inspection" -- DINING.
Dining As It Appears:
Walking in you'll see tables, often a TV,
Maybe it's a combination "community room"
used for visiting musical groups or for other uses.
You're told how residents are "encouraged"
to come to the dining room.
How the staff has been trained in "
white glove individual service"
and it's like dining in a nice restaurant.
You're told.
You're told.
If for some reason
they can't get to the dining room
or would prefer to "dine in their room",
this is simply accomplished
by the resident calling ahead
and ordering what they'd like.
Picture, if you will,
someone with poor eyesight
given a list with items on it
about the size of this type.
The list is in columns
but isn't organized, just randomly posted.
On any given day
certain items
"may not be available".
The resident,
who has difficulty making decisions
due to advancing Dementia,
or just indecisiveness,
now has to make another choice.
Reading is challenging.
Listening is confusing.
So they ask for and receive
What "they always order".
Reality Dining:
This mulitpurpose room
may be used several times a quarter
for meetings and other events
and closed to residents.
Residents dine in the dining room
on their floor or in their room.
This can be for one meal:
breakfast, lunch or dinner
OR it can be for an entire day.
Dining on the resident's living floor
Dining on the resident's living floor
is in a small area where residents
who cannot travel the distance
or do not have the mental or physical abilities
to sit with others due to either behaviour
or limitations are regularly dining.
No conversation possible.
Do not turn away.
This will not change
It will be "your way" someday.
Dining begins and service ends at a set time.
If you don't make it, you may have to settle
for whatever might happen to be
in the refrigerator on your floor
and due to "cutbacks" that's possibly
now limited to ice cream,
bologna sandwiches,
maybe some low fat milk.
Some would say it's "service'
Others would say it's "control".
