At both Ananda Findon and Hope Valley we have worked hard on improving the dining experience, which is not only the quality, choices and quantity of food, but also the way it is served and the ambience or atmosphere in the dining rooms.
We have developed an online Ananda Academy course for all staff to learn how to create a relaxing environment during meal times and how to support residents to engage with each other an enjoy a social experience while being supported by staff where needed.
This week we videos a typical lunchtime service (with permission from the residents, visitors and staff) and did not rehearse, script or stage the service. We have uploaded this video as a training resource for all our staff to understand the move away from efficient task-orientated care, where staff focus on jobs, to our new model of Resident Focused Care, which ensures the resident is in control and is the centre of all that happens in their home.
Two mottos we have about Resident Focused Care are: “Resident value relationships over tasks” and “Residents do not live in our workplace, we are just here to support them enjoy the best lives they can, in their home.”
We have made great strides forward at Findon and are investing even more training at Hope Valley, where we hope similar improvements will soon be noticed.
