ABOVE: Vista Prairie at Goldfinch Estates Senior Living Sales and Community Marketing Manager Brody Bents and Executive Director Ann Logan stand with the new serving counter for assisted living residents. The counter was needed for the shift in dining strategy from designated meals to resident-chosen meal times.

FAIRMONT – For the residents at Vista Prairie at Goldfinch Estates Senior Living, a major update to assisted living is starting to pay dividends.

It started with a change made company-wide to go from the more traditional system to a new, restaurant-style food option.

“The way it used to be was we always had something on the menu for breakfast, lunch and supper,” Sales and Community Marketing Manager Brody Bents said. “There were always alternative meal options. Residents would need to call down an hour ahead of time if they wanted something different. Everybody was served at the same time.”

Now the kitchen is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can have their meals at whatever times they please, and it is prepared fresh as they order instead of receive it all at once.

But with this change in meal options, Bents said it opened conversations that made renovations necessary.

“We needed a serving area,” he said. “Opening that up for a serving area, obviously, we were going to have to do some renovations.”

In redoing the dining area, Bents said they want to keep the building looking fresh and modern for their residents.

“It was just time for a new, fresh look,” he said. “It was carpet before. In a dining space like this, a hard surface floor makes a lot more sense. It’s more sanitary, easier to clean, stays looking nicer and giving a fresh look every few years is a benefit.”

The project itself took around nine months, longer than Bents said they had originally planned.

“Anybody that’s done some remodel projects knows that those tend to get pushed back a little bit farther,” he said. “Obviously, the state has to approve everything that we do. There were some changes in plans.”

With the dining space also functioning as a venue for entertainment, Bents said the construction did result in a few tweaks for residents.

“All those things happened out front in the lobby,” he said. “There were some pluses and minuses to that. I think there was a lot of setup and a lot of breakdown every single day.”

As for the food, Bents said the dining area itself was only closed for three weeks, and food was delivered to residents in their apartments. The kitchen itself needed a light amount of work, and on the one day they were closed, Goldfinch brought in catering for the residents to enjoy.

So far, Bents said residents are enjoying the dining changes.

“I know they’re loving the food,” he said. “They’re liking the options. The keyword is variety and choice. I know they’re loving that. It’s good interaction with staff and residents as they’re coming out, taking their order as they’re serving them, and just the ability to come down and eat when you want.”

With the first event, a birthday celebration for all of the August birthdays, in the books, Bents said the entertainment side has also done well.

“It’s one of the biggest turnouts we’ve had,” he said. “We move all the tables, change the way the seating is arranged. It was packed.”

While this is one of their larger projects, Bents said they are continuing to look at ways to spruce things up and make things as close to their mission statement as possible.

“Providing safe housing and care, a positive place for people to live,” he said. “We know getting complacent on the way our building operates can just spiral out of control.”

A grand re-opening of the dining area will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sep 23, It is open to the public, and will feature hors d’oeuvres plus a ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m.