Staff Spotlight: Bridget Smith in Assisted Living

At Magnolia Manor, we are blessed to have so many truly wonderful staff members. They are as much a part of our family as our residents. Usually, the only people who get to know them are their colleagues and the residents they serve within a particular Magnolia Manor campus. So when we have an opportunity to highlight a staff member here in our blog so everyone can meet them, we always say yes.

Meet Bridget Smith

If you reside in Assisted Living at Magnolia Manor Columbus, you already know Bridget. She’s the dietary maven – the woman responsible for ensuring residents get three scrumptious, nutritious meals each day.

Like many of our staff and residents, Bridget is a Georgia native. She lives in Columbus with her sons, ages 19 and 21. She previously worked in housekeeping at the local Hampton Inn, but knew of Magnolia Manor because she often drove past the campus. A position came open, and even though she’d never worked as a cook she decided to take a chance.

“I cook at home with love,” she says, and you can hear the smile in her voice. “And I was willing to learn in this setting.” It’s been a success, and she is now coming up on her fifth year.

Cooking with Love, Indeed

Serving as chef to Assisted Living residents is definitely different than cooking at home. Bridget has to take into account people’s special diet or allergies and their likes and dislikes. In fact, she says her job is all about the residents and their preferences.

“I give them a menu for the week, and they can take a couple of days to fill it out,” she explains. “But we also have a list of available items they can choose to substitute. And even if it’s right before service time, if they want something different I will cook it for them if I can.”

Normally, Bridget handles breakfast and lunch, but lately she’s been cooking all three meals due to a staffing shortage.

Magnolia Manor is known for its great meals, and Bridget keeps that tradition alive for her residents. She reports that the favorite entrée is hamburgers or cheeseburgers. “They like to keep things real simple,” she says. And for dessert? Ice cream, definitely. She says the residents just love ice cream, especially when the weather is hot.

Feeding a Sense of Community

The Assisted Living community at Columbus is pretty small, which means Bridget knows her residents pretty well. Some of them come to the dining room for all three meals. Others she doesn’t see very often because they choose to eat all or some meals in their apartment. Those residents get personal delivery from one of the CNAs.

The dining room has been closed periodically during the pandemic, something that was particularly frustrating because both staff and residents missed one another. Bridget now frequently overhears residents say, “I sure love the dining room!” It’s a chance to see others all in one place.

What does she love most about her job? “The residents, first and foremost!” she answers easily. “They are the main reason I stay over when we’re short-handed, or come in on my off days. If they don’t have a good breakfast their whole day will be messed up.”

Good breakfast, for sure. Bridget puts out quite the spread, offering traditional hot biscuits with gravy, grits, eggs, and crispy bacon. The bacon has to be crispy. Some residents start with a bowl of cold cereal and then move on to the hot items.

Bridget arrives at 6am to prepare breakfast, which starts at 7am. But well before that – usually by around 6:10 -- residents are knocking on the door in search of coffee. “It is the first order of business,” she laughs.

Bridget Smith not only puts the residents first, they know it. A while back she was off for 6 weeks because one of her sons was in the intensive care unit. When she returned, “They let me know I was missed!”

Come Visit Us

The best way to know if a senior living community is right for you or your loved one is to visit in person and take a tour. This gives you an opportunity to explore the housing options and common areas, meet staff, observe residents engaging in social activities, and get all of your questions answered. To schedule a tour at our Columbus campus or one of our other eight senior living communities, contact us online or give us a call at 855-540-LIFE (5433).