The San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living (SFCJL) is set to launch a project aimed at involving memory care residents in the organization’s culinary program through a unique partnership.
In collaboration with the Atlantic Fellows for Equity and Brain Health (AFEBH), SFCJL is forging ahead with a new partnership under which the two companies will use food and residents’ own family recipes to spur memories and build social ties in a special, one-off event.
Later this month, AFEBH fellows Jake Broder and Zach Bandler will with five memory care residents host a dinner party with residents and families to share dishes from their past.
The partnership for the one-time event will help SFCJL’s culinary teams collaborate with residents and “unlock meaningful memories” for those living with dementia, centered on food and socialization, according to SFCJL Director of Marketing Angela Ingel.
Over the next two weeks, SFCJL staff will work with eligible memory care residents to prepare for the event in test kitchens, resulting in the residents helping craft a five-course meal based on residents’ recipes, Ingel added.
“Our senses of taste and smell have a remarkable ability to awaken powerful memories, often bringing forgotten experiences to the surface,” Ingel said. “So why not involve residents in conversations about the foods, flavors, and cuisines they love?”
A staff member at SFCJL learned of the fellowship through an article in The New Yorker, with Broder spending two weeks at the campus to enhance the community’s culinary program and curate this special event, according to Ingel.
Going forward, Ingel said more broadly that senior living providers must continue to increase training for existing staff and improve hiring while looking for further advancements in technology to support operations while caring for older adults.
Currently, the organization uses virtual reality in its memory care units to give residents immersive experiences, something other organizations have implemented to enhance programming in memory care.
In recent years, memory care operators have revamped their culinary programs to focus on personalization, engagement, and education in an effort to build a higher quality of life for those living with dementia.
“There’s potential to gain additional knowledge from this experience and apply it us moving forward,” Ingel said. “Depending on how much residents engage and benefit from participating, we could involve them even more in developing future dishes or menus. While the long-term impact on resident life is uncertain, we see this as a truly innovative opportunity.”
