Clinical Dietitian Brings Food Passion to Residents of Covenant Shores

Clinical Dietitian Maia Kurnik has long- believed that healthful and delicious food plays an enormous role in quality of life. She is able to carry out that principle at Covenant Shores, a faith-based, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement community administered by Covenant Retirement Communities.

In keeping with her passion for food and quality of life, Kurnik says a priority of hers has been updating menus to more “made from scratch” cooking for all three healthcare levels: memory care, assisted living and skilled nursing. She teamed up with Chef Manager Lydia Hudson to adapt the outdated menu to fit individual needs, allowing all residents more choices at meals.

“The goal was to be as inclusive as possible,” she says. “So we changed our recipes and liberalized the menu to offer as many choices as possible to as many residents as possible. The residents are thrilled.”

The overhaul not only included a new menu, but also retraining the cooks to prepare fresh new menu items including herb crusted pork loin, mashed potatoes with kale, and seafood newburg. Kurnik is pleased with the dining team’s results.

“We are shooting to be 5-star dining. The food looks and smells wonderful, and all the residents are eating better,” she says. “We don’t have hard data yet, but anecdotally I think we have had fewer weight loss problems because residents are enjoying their meals so much.”

Kurnik is delighted with the healthy turn around in one particular resident. Due to severe difficulty swallowing, the resident can only tolerate pureed foods. Kurnik worked with the resident and her healthcare team to provide her with more food choices while staying within the resident’s strict dietary guidelines.

“It is challenging because I can’t change the texture of her food to make it more appealing, it needs to be a drinkable puree,” she says. “I worked with her speech language pathologist to find foods and snacks that are safe for her. I even developed a special recipe for chocolate peanut butter pudding, and we now provide mango sorbet for variety.”

The resident has not only gained weight, but is much happier with the food choices available to her. Family members were so grateful for the improvement in their mother’s health, they wrote a thank you note to Kurnik who keeps it posted in her office.

“I get very attached to my residents,” Kurnik says. “It is an honor to be able to provide my residents with the comfort, joy and sense of community that comes with good food. That’s why I’m here every day. It’s incredibly important that we do it right.”

Michele Bergley, Director of Dining Services, has come to expect that type of dedication from Kurnik.

“Maia conducts daily huddles with the kitchen team to ensure that all staff members are fully engaged with the new dining program,” Bergley says. “She is passionate about her team and her residents. I am proud to have her on our staff.”

About Covenant Shores

Covenant Shores, a faith-based, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement community, is located at 9150 Fortuna Drive, Mercer Island, Wash. It is administered by Covenant Retirement Communities, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior services providers. Covenant Retirement Communities serves 5,000 residents at 12 retirement communities nationwide and is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. For more information on Covenant Shores, call 877–385-8613 or visit www.covenantshores.org.