Food programs at Meaford facility popular with residents: co-ordinator
Monday, January 31, 2005 - Morning Report staff
With the smell of Italian cooking recently permeating the corridors of Meaford Long Term Care Centre, there is little doubt that food programs are among the most popular, according to one of the facility’s co-ordinators, Dorothy Embacher.

Embacher, co-ordinator of volunteer and family services for the Meaford facility, says the home offers a lot of programs yet the ones that are food-related generally meet with great success.

Recently, the 77-bed facility had an Italian dinner night that proved especially popular. One week before the event, a number of residents took part in a spaghetti sauce-making initiative. The sauce was frozen and then a big Italian meal was planned.

Those residents who had participated in making the sauce were surprised about the big dinner, and that they were able to invite others, which resulted in a group of 16 people. The lucky 16 ate spaghetti and the homemade sauce, homemade bread, Caesar salad and dessert on dinnerware set out on red and white tablecloths.

"We saw (the residents) cheering their glasses and having a really great time," recalls Embacher.

Food has also played a role in the less formal activities at the home. For instance, an activity aide recently made homemade bread and then went around the facility with a cart, visiting residents’ rooms and taking them samples of bread.

"Just the smell of that in the hallways really brings back old memories for residents," says Embacher.

"It just makes it feel like home," she adds.

For more information about programs at the Meaford facility, contact Holly Fieghen, activity co-ordinator, at (519) 538-1010.