The senior residents living on Wing J had to travel a long distance from their rooms for meals and entertainment in the central dining room. Bethany Home CEO and Administrator, Pauline Darling, had a better idea. With the assistance of Ganther Construction l Architecture they created a homelike environment for dining for residents within Wing J. Existing office space was repurposed and a nursing station was relocated to create a new serving kitchen, lounge/dining room that is now the activity center of Wing J. The lounge/dining room also has exterior access to an outdoor dining patio.
According to Bethany Home’s Executive Chef, Josh Eggeman, the new dining room now allows his staff to serve residents in the community where they live. There is also a built-in counter at ADA height where residents can pull up to the counter for a cup of coffee, piece of pie or help prepare meals and make snacks, just like they did at home. “On Sundays,” says Eggeman, “everyone wears their green and gold and I whip up my signature Wisconsin tailgate hors d’ oeuvres, and we cheer on the Packers.” “Our residents and caregivers absolutely LOVE our new dining area!” says Pauline Darling.