Table Service Delivery at Emmaus

One of the most lasting memories of all of us is the sitting down to a meal with your family and friends. It could be the long lingering smells of the kitchen, the warmth of the house, the company you are sharing and the meal on the plate. These memories bring warm fuzzy feelings of love and being nurtured.

We at Emmaus and our other Catholic Care of the Aged entities have made a conscious decision to up skill our care staff and kitchen staff to make meal times a memorable experience to bring restaurant quality service and food to our facility. As we all know when dining out it is not just a meal on a plate but the service that is provided, the physical positioning and comfort that you feel throughout and the timing and interaction of the service.

Care Staff at Emmaus have undertaken a Four Hour Food Service Delivery Course facilitated through NSW TAFE. This course teaches staff customer service in food delivery. The course itself teaches each carer how to set up the dining room to ensure comfort and ambience for the resident. Check table and table settings for resident and service personnel access and satisfaction. How to set a table that is attractive to the resident and manageable to the staff giving service. Use of colour and other decoration to create an ambiance to the whole room. Welcoming the resident to the table, communication to the resident at the table, taking special orders or requests, minimising noise and distractions from the dining area. Serving of the resident from the appropriate side and clearing tables of crockery, cutlery and glassware from the appropriate side with minimal disruption to the resident. The appropriate time for serving coffee and tea and techniques when pouring hot and cold fluids. Education has also been given in tray service to resident’s rooms.

Kitchen staff participated in the course as well with their focus being table settings and presentation of the food on the plate. Use of different types of plates and colour in presentation. Use of garnishes and colours of the food on the plate. This all engages the resident to taste and enjoy the food experience.

Emmaus ‘s meals are cooked off site at the Catholic Care of the Aged Marian centre using the cook chill process. The meals are delivered and placed in regothermic ovens at Emmaus. The Marian centre has supported the change in food service by creating different finger food, having Special Nights for example Asian nights with Asian presentation and continuing on with individual requests and diets.

Emmaus has a 17 bed Dementia Specific Area. We are currently working on specially designed crockery for Dementia residents. This crockery is designed to sit firmly on a dining room table with a two tone colour that is easily recognised by the Dementia Resident. Social skills continue to be supported by use of cups and saucers plates etc. Instead of plastic/ mugs etc.

This education and current plan is just the beginning is still in early stages.  So far our residents have been thrilled with the improvement of service!

Janet Reay, Manager