Almonte revamps dining room to better support residents
Thursday February 14, 2008 -- Natalie Miller
By overhauling the dining room seating plans, Almonte Country Haven has created a more supportive, pleasant mealtime experience for residents, employees say.

Recognizing a growing number of residents at the rural, 82-bed long-term care home required more assistance with meals was the catalyst for the project, says Kelly Davies, director of care at Almonte Country Haven.

Davies says as a result of the aging process and the natural progression of health conditions, more residents were in need of assistance and the current seating plan wasn’t working.

Together with nutritional care manager Brittaney Lee and the support of other staff, the team began tweaking seating plans. Davies says this involved grouping residents together who have similar needs.

She says prior to the rearrangement, residents with varied needs were “scattered” throughout the home’s dining room. This made it more difficult for staff to meet each resident’s individual needs during mealtimes.

After consulting with staff, the pair developed seating plans that included moving residents who have cognitive impairment and subsequent behaviour-related challenges into a smaller therapeutic dining room where more one-to-one support could be provided.

“People were being missed” and therefore not supported as well as they could be, says Davies.  

While it took some getting used to for residents and staff, the results so far have been positive, says Davies. She says those residents who require supportive measures are being better attended to in the smaller dining room. As well, the main dining room is more organized and spacious. “It’s a lot more pleasant and a lot more peaceful,” she says.

Lee says the seating overhaul has certainly provided a better opportunity for staff to provide one-to-one support for residents.

“For staff, all of the people who need assistance are all in one area,” she says.

The three-week project has so far proven to be beneficial for both staff and residents, Lee adds.