Nourish Day at Grove Park Home

In the front section of the resident garden. From left to right: Travis Durham, Wendy’s colleague/neighbour, Wendy Smith, Peter Dickey (Owner, Beekeeper– Dickey Bee Honey), Chris Wong (Partner– The Growing Connection), Sandra Wolf (Manager of Environmental Services– Grove Park Home), Hayley Lapalme, Cheryl Hsu, Robert Patterson (Founder– The Growing Connection), Vidhi Gupta

On an overcast July morning, the Nourish Toronto team drove from Toronto to Barrie to visit Grove Park Home, second home to our Nourish innovator– Travis Durham, a place where community and care come together to serve nearly 140 elderly residents. In May, the long-term care facility celebrated its 50th anniversary, and last month Travis’ Nourish work made it to the national news on CTV.

We made several stops on this tour, which was filled with activities, delicious local treats and engaging conversations with both staff and residents; the highpoints being the time we spent in the on-site resident garden and at the backyard beehive with the residents, Ila and Robert.

The resident food garden, an open, green courtyard in the centre of the complex has nearly two dozen raised planters and is a great example of accessible, spatial design. Seeing the garden, it is hard to imagine that this space had been unused and closed off to residents for fifteen years due to mobility hazards. Now it’s a favourite area for residents, guests, and staff. In front of us was a garden in full bloom, with rows of corn, tomatoes, ground cherries, basil, zucchini, sweet peppers, beets, rosemary and lettuce– all tended by residents.

For this project, Travis partnered with Robert Patterson, a farmer, whose organization– The Growing Connection specializes in innovative horticultural systems. At Grove Home, he worked with Travis to set up the food garden, starting with a dozen Caja boxes, and last fall the resident council co-chaired by by Ila Ellison, purchased an additional two dozen boxes to scale up the initiative.

Left section of the garden with the tall corn stalks and rows of vegetables and herbs

Robert has brought his Caja boxes all over the world, working with communities in the North and internationally. “When the grandmothers have taken on the change, that’s when you know it is sticking. Here at Grove Park, we start with the grandmothers,” said Robert as he walked us through the motivations, mechanics and benefits of the garden program.

The garden (also a part of the facility’s DementiAbility program) has notably enriched the lives of the residents by creating an accessible on-site green space wherein they can connect with their surroundings and each other, and also get the freshest produce on their plates. Last year, it won the AdvantAGE Ontario Innovation Award for Seniors’ Life Enrichment.

“When the grandmothers have taken on the change, that’s when you know it is sticking. Here at Grove Park, we start with the grandmothers”

— Robert Patterson, Founder, The Growing Connection

Resident council Ila Ellison with beekeeper Peter Dickey examining a slab from the beehive

Later in the afternoon, we got to tour the backyard beehive with beekeeper, Peter Dickey of Dickey Bee Honey. The Grove Park bee program was started last year with the goal to have resident-supported, on-site honey production. Since then, the residents bankrolled a private-label honey program through which they have sold over 350 jars of honey, bringing in profits that have already exceeded the target set for 2019. The abundance of honey harvested has also led to a shift in the residents’ food habits to the extent that honey has replaced fruit jams on toast, and is now a permanent breakfast condiment.

Along with the support that Travis and the senior leadership team have lent to the project, the success of both the garden and beehive is underpinned by the involvement of the residents in the planning, management and maintenance of these projects. These ground-level breakthroughs at Grove Park Home are a great example of how engagement of senior leadership, resident-focused decision making and community partnerships can be leveraged to improve the quality of care, and consequently the quality of patient life in health care.

Webinar: Reframing healthy food in health care

The question of what qualifies as “healthy” food is highly contested in health care and beyond.
This conversation is alive and well in our leadership cohort, and we want to engage it publicly.

This webinar will bring together four varying perspectives from four thought-leaders to explore how hospitals and health care facilities can lead the charge in expanding the definition of healthy food, to better serve people, patients, and the planet.

Join panelists: Kelly Gordon, R.D Six Nations Health Services; Diane Imrie, Director of Nutrition at the University of Vermont Medical Centre; chef Joshna Maharaj, Take Back the Tray; and Dr Janice Sorensen, Langara College; to explore ways to better connect food and health through the patient meal experience, food service operations, food environments, and making connections from health care settings into community.

The four speakers bring powerful insights from the frontlines of the Healthy Food in Health Care movement in the US; a community strengthening connection to traditional foods and foodways as a pathway to well-being; innovative clinical research underway in Canada and Denmark; and multiple institutional food overhauls around the Greater Toronto Area.

Come with questions and take away a more nuanced understanding of how food can support health and healing, and how to take next steps to advance this conversation in your own organization.

Tweet your questions for the panelists and cohort to @NourishLead -- and please forward this invitation widely.

Register in advance for this webinar: 
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tAWMOBE6QHud2g8Li31yCA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Panelists:

Kelly Gordon is a Registered Dietitian and Kanyen’keha (Mohawk), bear clan and a proud mother of two energetic children. She works for Six Nations Health Services as a Community Dietitian; she previously worked for Toronto Public Health and Davenport Perth Community Health Centre.

Diane Imrie is the Director of Nutrition at the University of Vermont Medical Centre (UVM) and is a registered dietitian. UVM was one of the first hospitals to sign the Healthy Food for Health Care pledge in 2006.  Diane is actively exploring the gap in understanding about how healthy food is impacting the environment.

Joshna Maharaj is a chef and activist who has worked in three different institutional contexts: Sick Kids Hospital, Scarborough General Hospital and Ryerson University. She is an advocate of the role institutions can play in food systems and is passionate about fresh, wholesome and seasonal foods.

Dr. Janice Sorensen is a registered dietitian and a researcher with a PhD in Clinical Nutrition. Currently, Janice is teaching at the Nutrition & Food Service Management program at Langara College in Vancouver and co-chair of the Food in Healthcare Working Group of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force

Travis Celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day at Grove Park with a Traditional Menu

June 21 marked National Indigenous Peoples Day, and to celebrate and honour the day, Travis brought Huron-Wendat and Anishinabek dishes to the Grove Park Home menu. We interviewed Travis to learn how it all came about and to hear his takeaways from the day.
 

What got you thinking about Indigenous food in care?
I never really considered Indigenous food in healthcare prior to becoming a member of the Nourish cohort. After learning more about traditional foods from other cohort members, I realized that there is a lot that needs to be done to promote Indigenous foods in Canada and to educate the public.

Why does it matter to you?
It was important to recognize Huron-Wendat and Anishinabek people. The area is rich in their history, and I believe it was an opportunity to share their culture and cuisine with our residents, families and employees.
 

“I did some research on the Huron-Wendat and Anishinabek foods, and spoke with a family member who is actively engaged in sharing Indigenous traditions.”

Tell us about your process to create a new menu for this day.
Initially, I reached out to Kathy Loon and Kelly Gordon, as well as Hayley Lapalme who provided me with some feedback on menu creation. That gave me a good baseline to develop the menu. Then I did some research on the Huron-Wendat and Anishinabek foods, and spoke with a family member who is actively engaged in sharing Indigenous traditions.

What's on the menu and how did you develop it? Where did you source the food?
The menu consisted of Three Sisters Soup, we used a recipe sourced online. We were originally going to serve a maple glazed trout but had difficulty sourcing a suitable cost-effective product, so we went with salmon. From there it was accompanied with blueberry bannock (which was a commercially sourced tea biscuit), maize (corn) and for dessert was fresh strawberries, sourced locally.
 

How was the menu received?
The menu was received quite well, and the promotion of Indigenous Peoples day engaged our staff to discuss further. We had the adult day program staff even prepare a First Nations treat consisting of warm apple slices, cranberry and berries.

What reactions did residents give? What about staff?
We have a small contingent of Indigenous residents, but the most popular menu item was the Three Sisters Soup. We had numerous staff thank us for doing something to recognize the Indigenous population. It was well received.

Will you do it again? Same or different?
I would absolutely do it again. I didn't give myself enough time to source product. In the future, I would get in touch with a local Native Friendship Centre or one of the many reservations close by to source better recipes and menu item options. It can be difficult to develop a menu in long-term care that is appropriate for an ailing population that we serve.

“I would absolutely do it again. A few suggestions for others: connect with your local Native Friendship Centre, traditional food specialists, and even the clientele that you serve.”

What advice do you have for others who are thinking of bringing traditional foods into their own menu?
A few suggestions for others, as said above: connect with your local Native Friendship Centre, traditional food specialists, and even clientele that you serve. Do research on the items you are serving so that you can educate the people you're serving. Have fun sharing and learning!

Thank you Travis! 

Patients and staff enjoy traditional foods at Saskatchewan Health Authority Regina on National Indigenous Peoples Day

To celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, Stephanie and her food and nutrition staff at Saskatchewan Health Authority facilities in Regina served up delicious traditional dishes to both staff and patients. We interviewed Stephanie to learn about how she and her team planned this menu and what inspired her.
 

What got you thinking about Indigenous food in care?  
Nourish! It was the collective knowledge and the passion of my Nourish colleagues that inspired me to start thinking about how I could incorporate more traditional foods into the menus where I work. I had a moment around the Colton Boushie trial where I thought to myself, ‘If everyone did one small thing to move this forward, we could change things.’ And then I realized, ‘Well, what am I doing?’ So I decided to dedicate a large portion of our new Wellness Garden to Truth and Reconciliation, where we will grow traditional medicinal plants in partnership with local First Nations communities and Elders. Doing this menu was another step we could take to put our learning into practice.

Why does it matter to you?
It matters because many of the people in our care have Indigenous roots and sadly this has been largely overlooked in our menu planning. I believe that every person has the capacity to contribute in a positive way to truth and reconciliation.
 

Nutrition and Food Services employee, Lee Bannister, dishing up the bison stew for patients at the Regina General Hospital in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day!

What's on the menu and how did you develop it? Where did you source the food? 
At our Nourish retreat in April, my group had the good fortune to visit the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler as a part of our learning journeys, and have lunch from their café. I had the most amazing salmon sandwich on bannock and wondered if it was something we could do in our cafeterias here in Regina. I described it to one of my Food Services Managers (Garnet Roberts), who is also an amazing chef, who said “no problem.” Garnet used Traditional Foods and Recipes from the Wild Side, a publication by the Native Women’s Association of Canada as a resource for recipes.

“Our Food Services Manager used ‘Traditional Foods and Recipes from the Wild Side,’ a publication by the Native Women’s Association of Canada as a resource for recipes.”

With National Indigenous Peoples Day on the horizon, we selected this day for its debut and learned to create a recipe for salmon on bannock sandwich with arugula and a juniper dill aioli. Using bison sourced locally from Saskatchewan, Garnet also prepared a dish of bison stew, served with corn and bannock to honour the day while also celebrating local ingredients. The stew was perfect as it could work with nearly all diet types (although we did have to relax our restrictions for sodium and fat). We served this meal across our four Regina sites to nearly all patients and residents and featured this item in the cafeteria as well. We lost count after 1000 servings! It was a big hit.
 

Joyce Wong serving up the salmon on bannock sandwich in the hospital cafeteria

What reactions did the residents give? What about staff?  
There was a real buzz in our kitchens. Staff was excited about serving something new and different and we had never really done anything in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day before. Many of the staff tried the stew before we served it and they felt proud – proud of our department for making the day special for the people in our care and proud of themselves for being a part of it.

Will you do it again? Same or different?  
We will absolutely do it again, but we will have to find a different recipe for next year.  The bison stew and bannock was such a hit we are planning to add it into our regular menu rotation. As for the salmon sandwich, I’m pretty sure we will see it in our cafeterias again soon – it sold out too!
 

“The bison stew and bannock was such a hit we are planning to add it into our regular menu rotation.”

Paul Neiman, a cook at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre (Regina) , proudly displays the salmon on bannock sandwich prepared in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Wascana joined the Pasqua Hospital, the Regina General Hospital and Regina Pioneer Village in this celebration, serving more than 2000 servings of bison stew and salmon sandwiches to our patients, staff, and visitors.

What advice do you have for others who are thinking of bringing traditional foods into their own menu? 
My advice to others is, especially if this is for a special occasion like National Indigenous Peoples Day, would be set aside your dietitian hat (or work with your dietitians) and relax your nutrient goals for the day. We decided we wanted something special for everyone, including our patients on more restrictive diets (like cardiac and renal), so they too could experience the meal as close to the ‘real thing’ as possible. We made a version with ground bison and veggies so even our folks on soft and minced diets could enjoy the same meal. We were so pleased to hear we got it right, with colleagues from Native Health Services sharing… “that was some top quality bannock today”.

Thank you Stephanie!