“An array of monotony breakers have made meal-time a much-anticipated event for many of the residents at RiverWoods,” said Tom Boyd, district manager, Healthcare Division, Metz & Associates, Ltd. “We are continuously looking for new ways to improve service and boost the appeal of the dining experience – an important element of quality of life for seniors.”
A new Saturday night dining program implemented by the Metz team at RiverWoods is “The Cinema Grill in the Ridgecrest Café.” This weekly event features dinner and a movie, with a feature film playing on a big screen TV and a themed meal, including an extensive salad bar, freshly made entrée selections and homemade desserts.
An outdoor lunch BBQ program, which began in the spring and is running through the summer months, allows residents to enjoy all of their favorite BBQ and picnic specialties at lunchtime. “The outdoor grilling, which began in early spring when the weather was still chilly, was referred to as a Polar BBQ, and proved to be a welcome end to a cold winter,” Boyd said. “This is a very popular monotony breaker that is looked forward to by all of our residents.” Some of the grilled lunch buffets have include the “Dragon House” Chinese Buffet, Taco Bar and the “Dagwood-Deli Bar.”
In addition to providing resident meals at RiverWoods, the Metz team also caters an array of onsite events, such as the recent Lincoln Dinner, a fundraiser that helps raise money for the historic Slifer House Museum, which is located right on the facility grounds. The house was donated to Albright Care Services, the operators of RiverWoods, and is overseen by a voluntary Advisory Board and staffed in part by residents of the retirement home community. The gala dinner, which was held in Slifer House, was called an “Intimate Dinner with President Abraham Lincoln,” and featured the same menu that was served for Lincoln’s inauguration and also for the Inaugural luncheon for President Obama. Guests feasted on spanakopita, stuffed Brie with raspberries, lobster bisque, seasoned duck, crème brulee and more.
Craig Solomon, Vice President of the Health Care Division of Metz & Associates, Ltd. explained that RiverWoods will be undergoing some great changes in the near future, including breaking ground on a new building that will create a homey, more neighborhood-like setting for residents. “This will change the fashion of how we deliver our dining services and make for a much more personalized approach to the entire dining experience,” Solomon said. “The heart of each ‘neighborhood’ within the facility will be it’s kitchen, which will be designed just like a home kitchen, and where residents will be able to eat their meals on a more flexible schedule in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.”
The new ‘neighborhoods,’ as they are referred to at RiverWoods will serve about 22-25 residents each and have a more personalized look with shared living rooms, kitchens and dining rooms. Meals will be less structured and offer more dining flexibility. “The focus will be on providing more of the comforts of home and helping residents live life to the fullest,” Solomon said. “This is sure to change the perception of nursing homes and senior living.”
Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, school districts and independent schools, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com or call 570.675.8100.
