Food Services team

Kerri-Anne Pesaruk, Tracy Mayowski, Susan Tetreault, Adriana Ciucurita, Marie Granger, Sharon Martin, SophiaBlahovich, Maritza Ojeda and others.

Few teams or individuals have three opportunities a day to serve and connect with residents, but the food services team does. The team serves meals with smiles and greets residents by name. Servers often take time to ask each person how they are doing. When residents move into the facility, the team asks them to share their favourite meal, and they get it on their birthday.

The team regularly staggers the order of serving resident tables to ensure fairness. This requires teamwork and communication as the team serving breakfast may not be the same one serving lunch. The Food Services team seeks to resolve conflict by listening to understand residents’ experiences and taking note of any expressed concerns.

One of the food services team’s objectives is to provide meals that reflect the resident’s individual needs and cultural backgrounds. Mary Immaculate Care Centre is located in a predominantly Ukrainian region of Alberta with a high percentage of residents either involved directly or indirectly in farming. The team plans meals with regional and cultural holidays in mind and uses local products to assemble a menu familiar to residents.

The food services team works closely with the dietician to provide appropriate meals customized for each resident’s health needs and personal likes and dislikes. This includes special dietary restrictions and personal choices.

Some residents are not morning people. Their special request to change the time of their breakfast is honoured. The team offers delayed service or adjusts resident caloric intake into only two meals.