Dietary Manager Agnes Puricelli’s office is located right next door to the beauty parlor in the nursing home in which she works. One day she overheard some elders in the beauty parlor discussing some of their favorite recipes. This sparked an idea, and Agnes approached the therapist and suggested that they put together an impromptu shopping trip so that the women could make a meal of their choice.
Later that day they took the women out to a local produce stand to buy fresh vegetables; a peach orchard to purchase fruit for the meal’s dessert, and even had time to stop for an ice cream cone. When the group returned to the home the elders directed the food preparation, peeling peaches, making salad, husking corn and cooking on the grill outside. The little spontaneous gathering was a great success.
Agnes decided to invite the six women back to cook with her on a Saturday afternoon. Their first adventure together was making apple crisp. Together, the six peeled apples, made the crisp topping and enjoyed a wonderful treat. When Agnes saw that all of the dessert dishes came back clean, she immediately began planning the next cooking group gathering. One of the women indicated that her favorite recipe was for “hamburger soup,” and so Agnes worked to adjust her original recipe from serving 8 to serving 100. The soup was listed on the menu and all of the women were wide-eyed when they saw that the soup bowls all came back empty, and that such a huge pot of soup only lasted for one meal!
Next came a Valentine’s Day buffet for the family members of the elders, which included planning the menu, making table centerpieces, and setting the room for the meal. The women also had their hair and makeup done for the special event by the home’s beautician, Becky. She and her husband took pictures of the women and placed them in photo frames for the families. A unanimous decision was made to include Becky and her husband on the guest list.
Since then, the group has planned two additional parties for group members. These were elders that seldom came out of their rooms. All it took to engage them in the community was to overhear a casual discussion about recipe sharing, and look what has become of it! These elders are now fast friends, they visit each other regularly, they attend community life events together, and they have developed a deep, mutual understanding with Agnes about how dining brings people together. “I have had the wonderful opportunity to hear some great stories about their cooking experiences, not to mention learning some great cooking knowledge,” Agnes says. “Now, when one of them complains about food to me, I understand where they are coming from.”
Some may wonder where the additional money comes to fund such gatherings and the time to facilitate them. Agnes points out that you don’t need a lot of money—just a little extra petty cash. She adds “It’s simple—it comes from the heart.” She says that her team members have watched the group grow, and have started to join in on the fun. They will often volunteer their own time to join the group because they want to—not because they have been asked to. And when asked how she manages her time to include these “extra” responsibilities she says, “It’s easy—when you experience their smiling faces, the growing friendships, the caring, not to mention the food—you will find the time.”
Agnes Puricelli is the Dietary Manager at Governor’s Center in Westfield,
