Large Groups of Seniors at a Restaurant

My friends have a large dinner group once a month. Our goal is to catch up and try out one new non-chain place that comes with a recommendation. Last month we met up at an Indian place and although the service was very good we had a group of 12 and there were a few mix-ups when food was handed out, forgotten substitutions, etc. They were all quickly resolved.

As one friend scowled at the plain naan he had to nibble on until they brought the garlic variety he had originally ordered, I told everyone, "You think this is bad, you should come on a food outing with me at work sometime. It can be pandemonium."

With more experience I have learned many tricks about taking large groups of seniors to a restaurant. Sometimes I don't know who to feel more sorry for; my residents, the waiters, or people sitting around us. Here is what I've learned so far:

1. seat people who want to talk to each other as close as possible. talking across the table is very difficult for residents with even mild hearing problems
2. tell the staff how many wheelchairs you will be using instead of seats. it is much easier to take out seats before people sit down, rather than after
3. ask for extra napkins right away. I've never regretted them
4. ask about spiciness of foods to help residents make an informed decision
5. keep a copy of the menu. this will be useful if someone want reminding what is in their meal and at the end when divvying up the check. also useful to contest charges if something looks funny
6. bring paper and pen and write down what people order as they tell the waiter. many times for big groups the waiter will have helpers bring out the food and if residents can't remember what they ordered, this will prevent someone from taking the wrong dish. also, if the residents don't remember sides or substitutions you can help ensure the waiter brings what they asked for. I can't count the number of times a waiter's assistant places a meal or beverage before someone and they started eating or drinking it only to find out it was not what they ordered. check off food as it comes so you don't pay for food that wasn't given
7. bring a marker to write names on take-away. make sure boxes are closed securely and ask for bags to wrap them in if possible so they don't explode open on the way home
8. write names next to each charge on the receipt with a break-down on it. after verifying all charges on the check, look out for a group tip that is often including for groups of more than 6.  when deciding on a tip, look to make sure you have the pre-tax amount not the tax-included total. I keep a card in my wallet now that is a cheat sheet for 15 and 20% tip for totals of 1-$100. Often the total is more than $100, I just add as many amounts as needed. (Last night's was $190 so I added the tips for both $100 and $90.)
9. call for a reservation. even if you are eating at a place that doesn't take reservations call in advance. Tell them what day and time you are coming and how many people you would like seated together. This gives them the opportunity to tell you if they can't accommodate your group. It also gives you the opportunity to ask about parking for a large bus and the best entrance that is handicap accessible. If you have time ask what the bathrooms are like so you can warn residents if they will most likely not be able to use them. 

Last night we went on a dinner outing that went smoothly. However our waiter was rude to my residents and I really didn't think it was called for. When I asked for the check he said, "Leaving already? What, do you guys have to rush home to watch Jeopardy?" I've learned that my groups are not the waiter's top choice and that no matter how much you prepare things can still not go your way.

Credit Cards

At work I have a mailbox, a name tag, a uniform. Somehow none of that has made feel as official as my own company credit card.

Before there was a system of borrowing the director's card. It lived in a battered envelop at the front desk with an ongoing list of who is checking it out, what date it is taken, and what date it is returned. This was shared by up to six people all needing it for all their outing and supply shopping endeavors. For the most part it was very courteous. We tried to not keep it overnight for more than one night, tried to get it back in time for another's outing, and tried to combine shopping trips when possible. However accidents happen and not only does it not get signed out (either by the receptionist or activities person taking it), it gets left in wallets, buses, stores, handicap bathrooms- always when someone else seems needs it most.

There is also the executive director's card to be begged for, and lastly personal cards with their bonus of reward points but negative of reimbursement wait.

The retirement community I work for allows residents to go out and put any purchases on the company credit card. The bill gets tacked on to their monthly statement. This means as an activities person I must comb through the receipts at the end of the day, remember who got what, calculate tax, liquor tax, and tip if necessary, and then assign codes to each charge.

Having my own card will hopefully cut down on day-of time of looking for an available card when I also am looking for bus keys and reminding residents of our impending trip. It will increase my time spent on receipts since I will be responsible for my own credit card statement.

Last night after we had our dinner outing I realized it would all be worth it. When the waiter handed my the bill he said, "Have a great evening Ms. Flashley". Before they had always used the activities director's name and I had a moment of panic if they would ask me to prove my validity to use someone else's card.

What's In the Balloon?

A popular activity has been "What's In the Bag?" where an item is placed in a thin bag and the resident must use touch alone to determine what it is. Typically I tell the person whose turn it is to close their eyes while I show everyone else what I'm putting in the bag. It really is fun when everyone is participating and the person who is trying to determine the object describes what he or she is feeling before guessing. However, it can get boring when people take a long time and don't say anything about what they are feeling so I thought I'd shake things up with a new version.

The idea of "What's In the Balloon" is to put substances in balloons, tie them off, and feel through the balloon. I thought the benefit would be that multiple people could participate at the same time, jotting down their guesses for each numbered balloon, and we could reveal them to everyone at the same time. It was either going to be really easy to guess, or really difficult. It turned out not to be really easy so I encouraged the residents to describe what they were feeling, rather than just make a guess.

The results were entertaining. I stuffed 7 balloons with sprinkles, coffee grounds, mini marshmallows, tissues, flour, dry black beans, and coconut shreds. Only one guess out of 5 people was correct (a tissue), although more descriptions came close (bird seed, banana, little rocks, mud). I would definitely do it again.

Greening Cards

The greeting card club met again yesterday and I was pleased with the results of our efforts.

In addition to get well cards, we made some "Thank You" cards for the performers who come and amaze us.

One resident who came to help did so purely to find out what "Greening Cards" were. I repeated loudly and spelled but finally I just told him they are like Greeting Cards, but better.

Santa's Beard Count Down

In late November my work will be having a Christmas bazaar and I wanted my section of the building to contribute something. Although it's only mid-October I thought it'd be better to begin on it early rather than later.

So we are going to embark on hand-made Christmas count downs. Some people cut out Santa and his beard, some used special scissors to cut out a cute poem, others counted and bagged cotton balls, and others glued the pieces to a larger piece of colored construction paper. The idea is to glue one cotton ball to Santa's beard every day beginning on December 1st. By Christmas Eve the beard is puffy and white and you are ready for him to come down your chimney.

This was just a start. I think we will go back and decorate them more by coloring the face or adding tinsel to the top. Also we might adhere the bags of cotton to the paper in some way. As usual I let them decide how best to do this and tried to stick to just offering to fetch things.

My favorite way to participate in such things is to ask at intervals, "How much do you think we could charge it for if we kept it just like this?" and wait for the ensuing discussion.

Country Ride

Have I ever mentioned that I drive a 14-passenger wheelchair-lift bus?

Yesterday was one of those rare perfect activities days. Balloon volley was well attended (including by our newest resident) and the music social turned more interactive when I announced the song release date and then asked things like "What were you doing on 4th of May 1938?". One woman remembered that she was graduating high school around the time that particular song first came out.

After lunch we went on a Country Ride and I was apprehensive that I had lost the directions I had researched a long time ago. The thing about planning in advance is that I sometime forget my intentions but crisis was adverted when I remembered that I was using those directions for something else and had them safely in a folder.

I don't know the area around my job too well. The purpose of a Country Ride is to just drive and enjoy the view. Rather than use my own time as a pre-view of a route, I just assumed that if we drove to a vineyard (they are always in pretty places, right?) it would be scenic. I got lucky and the roads were indeed lovely and the weather was crisp to be in but perfect to see.

When we were back and the bus was parked I used the few minutes before the next activity to get caught up on a project I need for next Tuesday. Just then, a musician I had been playing phone tag with called and we finally set up a time for the next big event I'm having. He had been in earlier and left me a rose as an unnecessary apology for missing each other so much. It was great luck I was in the office when he called.

Popcorn Taste Testing

The food for the month of October at my retirement community is popcorn. So when taste testing came up on my rotation of activities, I thought we'd try out different flavors and discuss. I found a healthy popcorn, a not healthy popcorn, and popped an unflavored bag which got divided into three portions and flavored into the same number of varieties.

On a paper towel I wrote out 1 through 5 and then put a handful of each type near it. Residents were encouraged to try each and guess at flavors. #3 was kettle corn, #4 was white cheddar, and #5 was nacho cheese. Most residents had trouble distinguishing between the first four but found the fifth to be the tastiest by far. I asked for funny stories related to popcorn popping but mostly we just chatted about how nice popcorn is as a snack food and how easy it is to consume in large quantities.