Get to Know the Dietary Team at Manor Park
The Dietary Department of Manor Park is a contract service known as Morrison Management Specialists, a member of the Compass Group, USA. Under the leadership of Director Michael Francis, Assistant Director Judy Harrison, Dietician Karl Sloss, and Kitchen Chef Tyler Haygood, (pictured to the right) this department employees 90 people and meets the dietary needs of all residents of Manor Park. The mission of this department is to “Enrich the lives of seniors every day.” They set about to cover anything and everything that has to do with food, daily nutrition, wants, and preferences of the residents. The menus are prepared in a four-week cycle which follows two major “seasonal” changes and two additional times where changes are not so major. Menus are printed weekly and can be found on the website.
For Independent Living, residents have the option of eating prepared menus, off the salad bar, or a “cooked to order” item from the Café Barney menu. The Dining Room opens daily at 11:30 am and closes at 6 pm. These hours are 365 days a year except for IL birthday party nights and major holidays. Delivery services are available for a minimum charge. As for the other levels of care, our residents enjoy three meals a day in their specified dining room. Michael plans to continue themed meals such as burger bashes and pajama parties. Be sure and check your calendar to keep up with all that is going on.
Other services offered through the Dietary Department include the Wildcatter Grill, located at the Clubhouse, catering services, the Heirloom Project, and Karl Sloss’ monthly nutrition talks. The grill is open five days each week, from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm (closed on Sundays and Mondays). Call-in orders are welcomed and ready for pickup within 30 min
Catering services may be setup by calling Michael Francis. Most catering opportunities require a two-week planning and preparation time table. Michael states the Patio at the Clubhouse now has a bar-b-q pit available for residents own activities. It can be reserved by contacting Irene Tarin in the Wallace Building. The Heirloom Project is sponsored by Morrison and features recipes and stories submitted by residents from within more than 350 senior living communities across the United States. These recipes have included a fresh apple cake made by Sue Hansen and a green chile quiche submitted by our own Dolly Nixon.
A nutrition talk offered each month by Dietician Karl Sloss, assists in educating residents to get the maximum potential from their daily diets. Be sure to look for Karl’s monthly nutrition talk on the calendar. Karl reminds residents they can get products such as protein drinks at wholesale prices through Dietary. He also encourages residents to remember that if they are experiencing changes in appetite, weight or desire to eat, it is important to get assistance early before you start losing muscle mass or strength to do the normal activities of daily living.