Mara Luburic
Dining Experience Specialist/Relieving Service Manager
Uniting
My name is Mara Luburic. Over the past 12 years, I have held the roles of Deputy Service Manager and Service Manager across several Uniting residential homes. For the past six years, I have been working as a Relieving Service Manager across the Sydney metro area.
Most recently, from January to September 2025, I have taken on the role of Dining Experience Specialist. In this position, I have worked across 18 Uniting residential homes in the Sydney North and Sydney West regions.
This role has focused not only on ensuring nutritious and compliant meals are served to residents but also on enhancing dining experiences—particularly for those in memory support units. One key initiative has been enabling residents to access food at any time of the day or night. Supporting residents living with dementia and meeting their individual needs has been the most rewarding aspect of this role.
SESSIONS
Day 2
11:30
Dignity at the table: Empowering residents though inclusive mealtime practices
For many residents with dementia, mealtimes become moments of confusion, or even distress – due to vision changes, difficulty swallowing, or lack of assistance. But what if dining became a moment of social connection, autonomy, and dignity?
Explore how communal dining strategies, from assisted eating, finger foods, and sensory-aware table settings, can improve nutrition, wellbeing and quality of life
Mara Luburic, Dining Experience Specialist/Relieving Service Manager, Uniting