Business View Magazine
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Janzen gives another example of how the Salem Home
responds to the needs and desires of residents. In
2013, its annual, resident satisfaction survey indicat-
ed that people were unhappy about the food. In fact,
the satisfaction ratio measured only 80 percent. “So
we started looking at what we could do differently with
the meals,” she says. “And we came across a model
where you can offer residents a choice where they
could see and smell the food before it is served, so
they can determine what it is they want to eat. So we
trialed that. The food hadn’t changed - the only thing
that changed was that the residents were given a
choice. And the next survey came in at 94 percent.”
But since the cooks, themselves, were the ones who
served the meals, the Home’s administration now
needed to figure out a way to give them more time to
serve, without sacrificing cooking quality. The solution
was to buy a “rational cooking center,” a computerized
cooking unit, used in restaurants and institutions, that
replaces seven pieces of kitchen equipment. The unit
worked so well, that the Home now has two!
In addition to its personal care sector, Salem Home
is one of only two personal care homes in Manitoba
with a Behavior Treatment Unit (BTU), a specifically
designed unit and program for those having difficulty
adapting in a normal care environment. Janzen ex-
plains: “Residents who have responsive behaviors
– aggression, sexually inappropriateness, etc. – who
cannot relate to a PCH environment, have a special
unit with a geriatric psychiatrist, a geriatrician, a psy-
chologist, and psychiatric nurses, who will determine
what the triggers for the behaviors are, wean them off
of any current medications which might be causing the
behaviors, and develop a care plan so that the triggers
aren’t part of it.” The Behavior Treatment Unit also has
