We Fell in Love in February!

Love and Friendships was the theme celebrated throughout the last month of summer. Beginning with Valentine’s Day, Belvedere’s Lifestyle Assistant, Milyn decorated our resident lounge and captured some fun and touching moments between resident couples, their loved ones and the fun had amongst friends. Beautiful pictures were captured across the day and can be found on our Facebook page.

At Belvedere, with the active coordination of programs by our Lifestyle team, we continue to ensure our residents deepen their connections with each other, and their loved ones to celebrate their cultures and customs however they wish. As a home with diverse cultural representation, for our residents and staff of Sri Lankan heritage, we marked Sri Lanka’s Day of Independence in early February welcoming volunteers to deliver a cooking demonstration showcasing one of Sri Lanka’s popular dishes, the sambal. Our thanks to those who volunteered their time to put on such a demonstration enjoyed by all. 

Running monthly as part of our Lifestyle Activity Calendar is our Italian cooking classes bringing an opportunity for new residents and Italian-speaking residents to come together to reminisce and share in conversations and cooking tips. This group designed to accommodate Italian-speaking residents offers cooking activities that allow participants to enjoy hands-on cooking preparations and share memories often of family coming together over a meal. It’s a joyous program sharing each other’s approach to preparing pasta, secret ingredients, and tastings that engage memory and active participation beneficial for residents living with dementia to connect with culture.

Our ingredients provided are supported by our Chef and where possible, fresh, seasonal vegetables sourced from our own resident-designed vegetable garden are used. This successful food and cooking program has different variations where all residents who wish to, are encouraged to participate in such tactile activities further enhancing friendships and connections with other residents. And, as the seasons change, we thank our keen resident garden Sam (below) for tending to our veggies and commencing the sowing of seeds for a spring reward!