DIETARY

Duties and Responsibilities

A dietary aide's main job responsibilities include helping prepare the food for the residents and assist any residents that need help eating their meals. The dietary aide works along with the dietary manager to prepare meals. She also assists in clean up, kitchen maintenance and setting up and taking down the dining areas. Other job duties include delivering food to residents' rooms, preparing and serving snacks and taking inventory of food and kitchen supplies. Dietary aides must learn the protocols and procedures for their facilities, as well as the rules and regulations for the states where they work.

Required Skills

Dietary aides must possess certain skills to be able to fulfill the duties of the position. These skills include attention to detail and the ability to follow instructions for reading recipes, dietary needs and meal orders. The dietary aide must be physically able to prepare food, serve meals and assist the residents in eating, as well as be able to operate kitchen equipment and clean up after meals. Along with physical skills, a dietary aide must be compassionate and patient when working with elderly residents, as well as the residents' family members.