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Dining with Dignity

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For many senior living residents, a trip to the dining room is a social outing within their senior home. It is a time to eat a healthy meal, talk to other residents, and feel a sense of independence in a structured setting. At Harmony Senior Services, our Reflections Memory Care program offers a Dining With Dignity component which is designed to create independence while providing personalized support where needed, especially during meal times. Our residents feel like they have a space to dine and socialize while living in our community. 

“The Reflections Dining Services Program is designed to maximize socialization while enhancing each resident’s dining experience.” – Jeff Gruber, RN, CDP Regional Director of Clinical Services.

 

Harmony’s key focus is to create and maintain independence with comfort in our dining services. For those living in elderly care homes, a warm and welcoming atmosphere with music and decorative place settings will make them feel more at home. The Reflections Dining Services program achieves this through “My PLEASURE”:

P - Promote home-like experience

L - Link with a resident- engage

E - Encourage Social Interaction

A - Alleviate anxiety, emotions

S - Slow Down, spend time

U - Understand their reality

R - Respect, honor choices

E - Engage resident skills/abilities

Senior living residents with cognitive or memory challenges benefit from familiarity and recognition in their dining experience. This can be seen through visual meal presentations for food choices, mixed seating in the dining room, and contrasting colors. Our dining program also values the atmosphere we create, delivery of food, and dining skills throughout the community.

 

At Harmony, we strive to maintain the most effective and engaging dining program by providing a variety of dining support through:

  • Structured meal and refreshment times, following a dementia-friendly menu

  • “All hands on deck” for our associates during meal times

  • Week at a glance posted in common areas as well as a daily menu

  • An Always Available Menu for our Memory Care Residents

  • Visual Choice Plates for residents to help them select their preferred meal

The Harmony Reflections Dining With Dignity program is focused on strengthening socialization in the community while giving support as needed. We focus on offering both the engaging environment and delicious meals that provide the best possible quality of life for our senior living residents. Reach out to your local Harmony community to learn how we can make Harmony home for your loved ones. 

 

 

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