Time one again for another...

installment of "As The Assisted Living Facility Turns".  Our story opens with the President of the Resident's Council trying to walk from his room to his car in order to go run an errand.  But he kept getting stopped on the way by residents, all of whom had one complaint.  A common complaint.  The food.

The facility has a new assistant chef and many of the residents do not like this chef's cooking.  There are a lot of different criticisms.  The supervising chef is working with this other chef to try to get them up to speed in their methods of cooking.  Since the supervising chef's food is universally accepted and liked (almost universally), if that chef can get the new assistant chef to use their methods and procedures, it will get better.

The thing is convincing the residents that progress is being made.  That the supervising chef is working to train the assistant chef.  That it will get better.  The problem is that living in an assisted living facility consists mostly of boredom and routine.  That's why the twice-weekly bingo games are so hotly contested, even though the stakes of ten cents per person with 20 people playing don't amount to much.  Even if one person were able to win all ten games in one session, they'd walk out with less than $30.  No one ever wins more than three games, let alone all ten.  So it isn't like these are big-stakes games.  But everyone there is motivated to be there.

In the evenings there are card games.  A nickel per person per hand.  Three to five players in the games.  But these games are important to them.

That's the point.  Everything that goes on here of any note is important to the people.  Meals are important.  Daily mail is a major deal.  So to try to get them to be patient with the issue of evening meals is not easy.  The President plans to try to help the Supervising Chef with this task.

Meanwhile they are continuing with improvements to the facility which is causing other problems.  They're working in the lobby and in the activities room.  During the day, the main entrance is blocked off and people must enter through the side door near the parking lot.  That means people who shouldn't be forced to take extra steps are being forced to take those extra steps.  They won't open the door closer to the street because it is more risky.  Makes sense until you watch one of the more limited residents struggling to get to the street.  Fortunately this will pass soon.

Or not.  But the President can hope.