“Do you like to eat out?” That’s the question posed by Amy Koch, executive director of the Charles Ford Retirement Community of New Harmony. “One thing we know,” she said, “most people do, and they look forward to the social interaction that accompanies the experience. Besides the location and the good food, it’s the social contact that adds pleasure. We realize our residents enjoy going out to eat with friends and family, and they can continue to do that, but now, we’ve added an in-house restaurant-style dining program, so they can enjoy a similar experience every day of the week.”
“The program was introduced last August,” explained Sarah Marshall, the Charles Ford dining program manager. “We wanted to give residents more individual choice. We began by creating an attractive printed menu listing all of the food items that can be ordered ala carte, along with the Special of the Day and many other balanced nutritional meal selections. Then, we had to teach staff how to take orders and write meal tickets, just as they would if they were working in a restaurant.”
Recent breakfast menu selections highlighted a fruit and yogurt parfait; a breakfast sandwich with a choice of bacon, sausage or ham with egg and cheese; biscuits and gravy; or a fruit & yogurt smoothie; along with several other entrées. Choices included anything from scrambled eggs with bacon, toast + fruit, to various omelets or simply a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios!
“A breakfast favorite is still the waffles with fruit and bacon or sausage,” Sarah said. For lunch or dinner, the chicken quesadilla is a popular choice served with chips & salsa. Still, some residents for lunch or dinner opt for the traditional hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, peas, and dinner roll, or the shrimp or
chicken stir fry. Ice cream tops the favorite dessert list!
Sarah and the assistant dining manager, Dylan Kennedy, make sure each meal provides the nutrients necessary to offer diners an overall healthy diet. With a dietitian’s assistance, they keep a watchful eye on the nutritional values to ensure each resident is getting the appropriate balanced diet.
“We’ve learned one thing.” Sarah said, “Our residents know what they want to eat and when they want to eat it! That’s exactly what our new program allows. Residents may come to the dining room at any time between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and order any item they want from the menu. Or they can call for in-room
dining service, just as you would in a hotel, and we will deliver the meal to them. We love it when our residents invite their families to join them. Often, they like to gather around a table in the dining room so they can show off their kids, even though their kids are often in their sixties. They’re still so proud of their
families.”
In closing, an invitation was issued. “We’re running a move-in special, right now,” Koch said, “so if anyone would like to set up a tour and join us for a meal at the Ford Home, they simply need to call 812- 682-4675 and talk to Krista Whipple, our admissions coordinator. Krista loves to show people around and she’ll include an invitation to make dining room reservations and experience our restaurant-style dining program, first-hand.”
