SMRC’s Sunny’s Café, an on-site cafe on the campus of Sunshine Meadows in Buhler, weathered the COVID storm by closing in 2020 for a period of time, during which we painted, updated the décor, and added to the walls sound-absorbing canvas panels of our food, pictures of people enjoying eating together, and simple phrases such as, “Life is like a cup of coffee: it’s how you make it.” As the pandemic eased for our facility, we thought about how to not merely get back to normal, but to make things even better for our residents than before Covid. Eric Beye, Dietary Manager and chef, cooks one day each week, encouraging residents to submit their family’s favorite recipes for him to prepare and serve to the residents. He will research the recipe with the family to make sure that any details that Grandma added are included.
Food will almost always come to mind as residents think of something they used to enjoy doing, so the Dietary and Activities Departments work together to create Themed Days, cohesive special days for the residents, where the menu and activities are tied together. For instance, we hosted a luau with Hawaiian pork and fixin’s, and events such as a Limbo contest and other Hawaiian themed activities. In the month of June, we hosted Little House on the Prairie Days, with Pork Stew, Chicken Pot Pie, and an old-fashioned Indian pudding. The table settings were farmhouse-themed, and frontier-themed games were offered in the afternoon. During Home of the Aged week, the departments worked together to develop various food-related activities, such as homemade pretzel day with homemade cheese sauce. The Activities Department made rootbeer floats and the residents seemed to really enjoy them.
Continuing with the theme of food and fun, one of our beauticians, Chelsie Pierce, suggested to Activities that they hold a Spa Day for our ladies, for a small fee; her facial and massage services were provided as a donation. Activities invited Nursing and Assisted Living residents; 11 women, almost a third of the female residents in these neighborhoods, signed up. The Activities Department provided snacks, including a chocolate fountain. This was a highly successful event. Plans are in the works to provide this service for independent living and memory care ladies.
We look forward to September, when we will host State Fair Week with a slew of activities and food designed around the fair and residents’ memories of the fun they enjoyed.
