The Continuing Adventures of Just a Waiter - a challenge to coworkers

Working with elderly people is not for everyone. And if it's not for you, that's ok.  Like, for me, working with children is not something I'm especially interested in doing as I prefer the old folks.  Always have!  But sometimes people take jobs simply because they are jobs.  I get that.  You gotta pay the bills.  Now, most of the people I work with in dining services are kids.  At least, to me they are as I could be most of their dads haha!  It's easy to spot who has the patience and countenance to work with the elderly and who doesn't.  Like I said, it's not for everyone.  

What we do is not always easy in dining services.  Anyone, and I mean anyone, who has ever waited tables can tell you that it is not nearly as easy as one might think.  (Side note:  always tip your waiter except under extreme circumstances!) Sometimes, though, I just want to shake some of these people to whom this is just another job.  I would tell them if you will simply take the time to get to know these people and treat them with the respect they have earned, it would make your job so much easier even on the most difficult of days.  All of our residents pay a great deal of money to live there.  This is their home now and they should be treated as such.  My coworkers are not rude to the residents, but there is a huge difference in being polite and being personable with people.  My residents in assisted living are much more forgiving of me when things go awry during a meal because we like each other.  It's that simple.

So, my challenge to my coworkers is this:  find at least one resident to get to know.  Take the time to ask them questions.  Listen to them when they just want someone to talk to.  It will mean the world to them and you will come out a better person for it in the end.  Having said that, I think about my residents and how much I enjoy them and have enjoyed getting to know them and hearing all of their stories.  And I wonder which of my coworkers could identify the following:

Which resident is right handed but drinks coffee with her left hand and wants her cup on that side of her place setting?

Which resident has a son who lives in Japan?

Which resident has a degree in dance and met her husband while touring with the USO in France?

Which resident has published a book on religion?

Which resident taught middle school social studies?

Which resident has a daughter that brings her lunch every Monday and Thursday?

Which resident's mother operated a tea room?

Which resident lost her eldest son to cancer?

I know that at least one of my coworkers can answer these questions and probably knows some information that I don't know yet.  If others can't answer these types of questions, then they need to learn about the people they interact with on a daily basis.  And if they don't want to know the answers to these types of questions, then it's time to find something else that is "just a job".