Dementia-Friendly Dining Comes to Brevard
Matthew McAteer, Gina Pierce – OWNER, Cindy Alexander, Christine Guadalupe-GM, Matt Benson
Viera’s Tuscany Grill staff receive training for first program on Space Coast
Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Thousands live in Brevard County. Until now, the simple act of dining out could be precarious and difficult for Space Coast caregivers and their loved ones. Tuscany Grill owner, Gina Pierce sought to change that, after she was approached by Nurse Lisa Conway of One Senior Place about the Dementia-Friendly Dining program. Conway is also a member of the local Dementia Care & Cure Initiative (DCCI) Task Force, together with staffers Rebecca Osgood and Sandy Stauffer from the Healthfirst Memory Disorder Clinic. DCCI is operated under the auspices of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and developed the curriculum for the Dementia-Friendly Dining program. On a recent afternoon, the DCCI Task Force gathered 20+ waitstaff members of the popular Viera eatery, for a specialized training session –making Tuscany Grill the first Dementia-Friendly Dining location in Brevard. An official sticker on the front door will soon identify it as such. Members of the public wishing to enjoy a Dementia-Friendly Dining experience need only to make a reservation online or by phone and mention the program. Upon arrival, the party will be seated in a quiet area of the restaurant and attended by one of the specially trained servers. Tuscany Grill is located alongside Lake Andrew Boulevard in The Avenue Viera, at 6630 Colonnade Avenue, 32940. To make a reservation for Dementia-Friendly Dining, call 321-757-7220 or visit TuscanyGrill.net.
For Lisa Conway, the Dementia-Friendly Dining program is personal. She recalls the challenges posed by restaurant outings with her late father.
“My dad suffered from early onset dementia,” said Conway. “Taking him out to restaurants was challenging. Some were too loud and over stimulating. Some offered too many choices and were overwhelming. Over time, my mom, sister and I found two restaurants where my dad felt comfortable. The servers would recognize him and knew that he was suffering from memory impairment. So they would approach him a little differently and give him time to make decisions.”
Why is Dementia-Friendly Dining important for the community? Conway explains in poignant terms.
“Being a caregiver to someone with memory impairment can be very lonely at times. Knowing that we had a ‘safe place’ that we could take my dad to eat brought some sense of normalcy to our lives.”
Some of the training provided to Tuscany Grill waitstaff advised them to seat diners in a quiet area with the least amount of stimulation possible. Tables should be uncluttered. Staff should approach diners from the front and not behind. When addressing the party with dementia, staff should speak slowly and clearly – and provide ample time for responses. To avoid confusing those with dementia, staff should not offer too many choices at once.
Lisa Conway was impressed by how seriously the Tuscany Grill employees approached the DCCI training. Many had stories about situations they’d already faced –and facilitators provided additional guidance on how to handle future situations.
Nurse Lisa Conway is the Vice President of Care Services for One Senior Place in Viera and a nationally Certified Care Manager. She and her cadre of nurses have all earned the designation of Certified Dementia Practitioner, to better serve elders living with various forms of dementia with greater efficacy and compassion. Ms. Conway is a frequent contributor to “Ask One Senior Place,” an advice column on topics of interest to seniors and their families. She hosts “Senior Health Friday with Nurse Lisa” each month at One Senior Place in Viera.
Brevard County restaurants interested in becoming Dementia-Friendly Dining locations can contact the local Dementia Care & Cure Initiative (DCCI) Task Force through Lisa Conway at One Senior Place. One Senior Place is a marketplace for senior resources, provider of information and site of educational seminars at 8085 Spyglass Hill Road in Viera. For more information, call One Senior Place, The Experts in Aging at 321-751-6771 or visit www.OneSeniorPlace.com.
One Senior Place Care Management helps clients effectively manage health conditions through the implementation of individual care plans. Care Managers coordinate care, manage medications, assist with doctor appointments, and provide attentive follow-up to enable clients to stay safely in their homes. For families, they provide an important communication link between the medical community, insurance companies and other professional service providers.
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