March 28, 2016
There’s more than just meals being served around the dinner table on the acute care unit at the Rocky Mountain House Health Centre. The new space provides a place for socialization between staff and residents, like registered nurse Susan Regnier, left, who shares a laugh with residents Conrad Bello and Sarah Jorgensen.
Story and photo by Sarah Megran
Enjoying good food with good friends is always welcomed when sitting around a dining table.
In addition to providing camaraderie, the simple act of being able to dine together also has a number of health benefits – especially for elderly patients in hospital. That’s why staff at the Rocky Mountain House Health Centre (RMHHC) have been working to bring back a social dining experience for patients.
“It’s a table instead of just a hospital bed,” says 86-year-old resident Conrad bello, who is enjoying the new dining area and being able to eat with friends.
“Patients appreciate the time spent outside of their hospital room,” says Stephanie Cox, the dietitian at RMHHC who brought a nutritional health perspective to this new patient-centred
initiative after the idea was first raised by licensed practical nurse Laurie Drolet.
Drolet says she recognized the benefit of having a social eating area and approached acute care unit manager Joyce Ritchie to see about bringing back a designated patient dining area.
The result is a new table on the acute care unit that can accommodate up to four patients and one staff member or volunteer to provide assistance.
“What was really neat was how it was such a collaborative team effort,” says Ritchie, noting that the smiles from patients during meal time show how great the impact truly is.
“This is a win-win for us.”
With a focus on patient-centred care, Cox considers the space to be an asset at RMHHC for both residents and staff.
“We often have patients who require feeding assistance, which can lead to staff running from room to room to help at meal times,” says Cox.
She says the shared meal space reduces the amount of time staff are moving from room to room and allows for more hands-on assistance with things such as opening food packages and cutting up food – ultimately leaving more time for direct patient interaction, and providing a positive environment to eat and socialize.
And so far the new initiative has been well-received by patients.
“Patients are happy to be at the table, their families are able to join if they like, and staff members are able to interact with patients and families during meal times,” says Ritchie. “There is often laughter heard coming from the table while everyone is sitting there.”
