There isn’t a day where you won’t find Gale, Dietary Aid at The Arbors at Dracut, smiling from ear-to-ear while working in the kitchen. As Gale describes it, “The atmosphere here, (The Arbors at Dracut) when you walk into the building, it just brightens you up! It’s homey and happy.” As a dietary aid, Gale’s primary responsibilities are to bring residents their drinks during meal times, deliver food to resident’s rooms and clean up after meals. While her job focuses on food and drinks, she believes it’s so much more than that.
Going the Extra Mile
One of Gale’s favorite aspects of her job is spending time with the residents in the dining room. She particularly enjoys asking a resident how they’re doing, or if she can bring them something else to drink other than what’s being offered.
“I go out of my way to see what they really want. It’s just what I do. The residents deserve to be treated with extra attention,” says Gale.
She enjoys talking with the residents and really getting to know them one-on-one.
Baking with The Arbors at Dracut Residents
But, Gale’s desire to go above and beyond to meet resident expectations isn’t just apparent in the level of service residents receive when they visit the dining room. During a conversation with a few residents, they started talking about their mutual love of baking. One of Gale’s passions is baking, not just for herself, but for others. Ever since she was little, Gale remembers baking fun recipes with her mom.
“My mom taught me to bake from a young age. I was always in the kitchen with her growing up watching her cook, mix ingredients and bake,” says Gale.
With her love for baking and connecting with the residents, Gale worked with Judi Parisi, Activities Director at The Arbors at Dracut, to offer a baking class for the residents once a month. Each month, Gale leads a baking class where she picks a recipe to bake from her large collection of baking recipes, “I could fill a room with all of the recipes I collect online,” says Gale. During the class, the residents watch her mix the ingredients into the bowl and she explains what ingredient she’s using and each step of the directions. After the treat is done baking, the residents enjoy it fresh out of the oven and chat with each other over a cup of coffee.
“Their favorite part of the class is eating the treat. The residents just love inviting their friends down to The Pub to enjoy the treat with them,” says Gale.
So far, they’ve made a blueberry cream cheese pound cake and plan to make Reese’s peanut butter cookies next. Don’t worry, staff members are able to enjoy the treat, too. Gale likes to make two of every treat, one for the class and one for the staff to enjoy. The Arbors at Dracut staff members are committed to creating the best experiences for the residents. Sharing staff members passions with resident interests, such as Gale’s baking class, is just one way we do this.
“I just really love my job. It’s a place you want to, not ‘have to,’ come to work every day,” says Gale.
When you step into the dining room at The Arbors at Dracut, you’ll be greeted with a big smile from Gale – and delicious food on your plate. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get to try a treat!