“This is most importantly the very best thing I have ever done in my healthcare experience, as far as providing a true “DINING with DIGNITY” experience for our seniors in care. I cannot imagine ever going back to the OLD way -  for me  SUZY Q cart is the ONLY way”

 

Shelley Wright - FSNSS Manager     

AdvoCare Health Services 

 

``I have had the privilege of hearing Suzanne Quiring present on more than one occasion and would highly recommend her.  The concept of resident focused care is a passion for Suzanne and it comes through in her presentation.  She is a wonderful advocate for clients while offering a meal service that promotes efficiency, teamwork and client satisfaction"

Heather Truber, President of Canadian Society of Nutrition Management (CSNM)

 

 

“Our residents LOVE the HOT food and the food standards are met! The residents enjoy the interaction hey now get from not just one staff member but from many (hugs, touch, greetings, one-to-one). We have noticed that they enjoy the food more and have stopped almost all complaints!  In fact one man said the food had improved 100% even though we had not changed the menus or recipes! And allowing the residents to make more choices has been a key benefit for them (something in life they can be in charge of). We would never go back to our old way of meal delivery – we love the SuzyQ cart method.”

 

Carol Unger, Food Service Manager

Tabor Home Society, Abbotsford, BC

 

 

“The most appealing attribute of the SuzyQ cart system is that residents have some choice again - no more long lists of food likes and dislikes. There is less food waste because residents are served only what they choose to eat, leftovers are utilized in the homemade soups.  The use of portion packets has decreased and more bulk condiments are used where opening the packages is not an issue, therefore food costs have decreased.  Teamwork between food service and nursing staff has greatly improved. Our residents thoroughly enjoy their meals served hot directly to them by the dietary staff.”

 

Jane Vanjoff - Manager of Support Services

Ebenezer Home, Abbotsford, B.C.

“Suzanne’s wealth of experience in Long Term Care meant that she immediately pinpointed all of the challenges I face on a daily basis as a Food Service Manager. Her tips for overcoming these challenges were practical, achievable and evidence-based. A highly recommended education session!”

 

Amanda Fleming, Registered Dietitian

Director of Nutrition Services

Rosecrest Communities, Enfield, Nova Scotia

 

 

“Suzanne's passion is evident when she does a presentation about improving the quality of life for people living in Care.  The SuzyQ carts are used by 2 facilities where I work.  The Staff enjoy the ability to allow Residents to see the food & make choices. The Resident's - they love it! Having a variety of food & textures available at every meal is convenient for me as well, as I can conduct a spur of the moment swallowing assessment if I notice someone having difficulty during meal rounds.”

 

Maureen Noble, Registered Dietitian

Noble Nutrition, Parksville, B.C.

 

 

“The SuzyQ system works very well and I highly recommend this concept. Suzanne’s customer service has been great! Residents can make choices although staff serving still need to ask residents and observe residents as they may not want to say anything about the food. It is well accepted by the residents and staff  - we can’t imagine any other way!”

 

Denise Turnbull - Food Service Manager

Windsor Elms - The United Church Senior Citizens Home

Windsor, Nova Scotia

 

 

“The introduction of the SuzyQ cart system has brought the ECU building to life. Not only during meal service but now that the Great Room is used for meals, residents feel comfortable using it as it was intended, as a meeting area to play cards or visit with family and friends at any time of the day. Residents have choices at meal times, limited but at least it is a choice. They can specify how much they want, ask for a second helping, eat pudding every day if they want. Patient Meal Satisfaction has greatly improved and family members rarely express concerns relating to meal service in the Dining Room. The Food Service staff have a relationship with the residents, enjoy the interaction and experience greater job satisfaction.

 

Gail Kay, Food Service Manager

Nanaimo Regional General Hospital/Dufferin Place

Nanaimo, BC

 

“On October 28, 2010 the Accreditation Surveyors did their wrap up and presentation here at Stanford Place. Our Surveyor who focused on food services was very keen  to “follow the food”.  She came into the Main Kitchen at 11:45 a.m. and watched the cooks finishing up their loading up of the lunch items into the 7 SuzyQ Hot Carts. (We have 7 dining rooms, as you know.)

 

The Surveyor stood quietly aside and watched the Lunch Cook call all the 7 servers together for the 3 minute Lunch “Hand off”. This is how the cook reviews with all servers at once the meal, what is in their SuzyQ carts for specials, for texture requirements and for alternates. The cook showed all 7 servers a visual example of one pre-plated entree and explained to dietary aides this is exactly how they should serve the plates. One by one the servers asked the cook any questions they had pertaining to their own unique dining room, and all servers listened to all questions and answers. After the 3 minute handoff the servers all unplugged and rolled their SuzyQ carts out the door single file, off to elevators and hallways to their own dining rooms.

 

The surveyor chose a SuzyQ cart and we followed along behind it to the dining room. Here we saw residents all seated in the dining room and care aides just finishing up Beverage service from the Beverage Cart. The care aides were ready to assist serving lunch soup as the cart made its way around all the tables sin the dining room.

 

The server then began serving the lunch entrée and the care aides continued to circulate among their residents throughout the dining room; one clearing soup bowls away and another care aide assisting to talk with residents about their lunch and to help serve them their entrée from the SuzyQ cart. The surveyor went to a different dining room and saw the staff & residents engaged din exactly the same meal service pattern as the first. She was delighted at the personal attention that was given each resident by the meal service team. I am very proud of our meal service teams as dietary aides and care staff work together to serve a social, relaxing, personal meal to residents and Tenants.

 

Later, the Surveyor gave the Wrap Up Presentation to all of us Directors (and the owners).  We were all told that they were very impressed with the tableside meal service that they witnessed here at Stanford Place.

 

The Surveyor felt that this very personal meal service should be rolled out not only in every care facility in the province, but also across Canada.

 

Also, the Surveyor told me that as she watched the Server and Care Staff during the meal service, she saw staff who really cared about what they were doing. “If I can see staff that care about their residents and what they are doing during meal service ”, she said “then I know that the residents will feel cared about as they receive their meal”. And that’s what meals are all about, right?”

 

Marlin McTavish, Director Support Services

Stanford Place Care Campus

Parksville BC

 

“The SuzyQ cart system has improved the quality of service in the following area:

 

1. It allows for a more feasible method of providing choice for our resident in that the regular menu items and the alternate meal items are readily available and the resident has immediate choice as to what they desire to be served at each individual meal. Along with this we have experienced an increase in meal consumption, which is a plus for any long term care facility.

 

2. It has improved food temperatures at the time of service, in that each resident can be served at the time of arrival to the dining area.

 

3. The SuzyQ cart system has allowed our facility to provide our meals in what I refer to as a combination of home style/ casual style dining. Tables are set prior to meal service and place mats are used. This eliminates the use of trays or the transfer of food items to the tables from trays that were previously assembled on the tray line in the kitchen area.

 

4. One of the most positive concepts from my point of view has been the relationship of the Dietary Staff with the residents. Residents are no longer a tray card with a listed diet. They are now seen as individuals with various needs, desires and personalities. My staff has developed a whole new out look on the food service they provide every day.

 

A highly recommended product!”

 

  

Deborah A Hoover, Certified Dietary Manager

"The Patriot, A Choice Community"

Somerset, PA, USA

 

 

 

“I had a fantastic opportunity to see tray meal service in our long term care facility when I first started at Edson Healthcare Centre, and then watch the difference once we switched over to dining room service using the Suzy Q. As you can imagine the tray service was very institutional, did not offer choice in meal or portion size. The service that we provided to our residents was quite distant. This style was inappropriate since this is their home.

 

First, I want to share the difference it has made with my staff. They get to interact with the residents now, rather than leaving a wagon full of trays in the dining rooms. They take pride in what they are serving, and love being able to give residents the items they request. The transition in job activities was stressful at first, which is to be expected. Some of them were nervous to be “on stage” as they say, as they served the meal. However, now the staff say that they would never go back. They see the value in the new service of offering choice and the relationships they are building with the residents.

 

The food waste has drastically decreased at my site, as well, which means the residents are eating. There has been a noticeable increase in the amount residents are consuming, because now they get to eat what they want to!

 

At each meal we begin with a beverage cart, we set up everyone with placemats, cutlery, water and any additional drinks they would like. Then the Suzy Q comes down. At breakfast, while residents are waiting for their meal they can sip on their morning coffee. The residents are first offered a cereal, hot or cold. This also allows us to keep the entrée warm in the Suzy Q until they are ready to eat it. After everyone has been served their cereal, entrées are then served. Each item can remain warm (unlike tray service).

 

At lunch we are able to do the same thing, only this time we start with a separate soup wagon. We will often make up sample plates to show the residents their entrée choices, rather than trying to explain what we have on the Suzy Q. Because some of our residents have impaired hearing or difficulty communicating, they simply point. It’s easier for them and easier for us. Many times if they don’t seem all that interested in what we are offering at a particular meal, we always have some sandwiches stashed away in our bottom drawer!

 

We follow our lunch and supper meals with a dessert cart. Often, we will not portion the dessert until we get to the dining room (saving us in time and food wastage). For example, if mixed fruit is the dessert, we will bring a large clear bowl that we just scoop out as we serve. And since fruit intake has been down, we will put a little dollop of whipped cream on it and they eat it right up! In addition to the dessert of the meal, we always bring an assortment of yogurts, puddings and bananas. It’s no more trouble for us, and they are getting exactly what they want.

 

In conversations I have had with nursing, family, and the residents themselves, I only hear positives. Meal times are a highlight for some and we are able to further enhance that with options. It’s like going out to lunch everyday”.  

                                                  

Jennifer Shapka, Supervisor, Patient Food Services, Edson/Hinton/Jasper

Nutrition and Food Services – Alberta Health Services

Edson Healthcare Centre

Edson, AB