With in-person visits and events still restricted at senior living communities across the country, Waltonwood Ashburn, a premier senior living community, wanted to show the unique and creative ways it is keeping residents engaged. The culinary team recently started hosting “Amaze-Singh Eats,” a live cooking demonstration that independent and assisted living residents follow along to on GoToMeeting, a video conferencing tool. Since the dining rooms are closed, the food is delivered to residents and they are able to log onto the platform and cook the meal themselves in the comfort of their homes. The senior living community is always looking for ways to show its commitment to its residents, especially during a time of such uncertainty.

“Our dining services is one thing many residents are missing right now,” said Christopher Leinauer, executive director at Waltonwood Ashburn. “They enjoy getting together and socializing, but right now with social distancing they aren’t able to do that, so we created “Amaze-Singh Eats” as a way to keep residents engaged. We named it after our parent company, Singh Development Company. Residents are able to see other residents on GoToMeeting and cook a delicious meal to enjoy. We’ve held a few sessions so far and it has been a hit with residents. Each session is a different theme, and we are hoping to come up with new ideas throughout the summer. This is a fun way for us to say thank you to the residents as we get through this time together.”

The cooking demonstrations are held every other Wednesday. Residents can decide if they want to participate in the cooking or just log onto the platform to socialize with other residents and associates at the community. Socialization has many health benefits for older adults. Some of the benefits include:

• Reduced stress
• Increased longevity
• Greater self-esteem
• Less anxiety
• Improved mood and quality of life

“We are always looking for new activities or programs that will redefine senior living,” said Leinauer. “This is our way of showing the entertaining things we are doing to keep residents involved and show others what it is like inside a senior living community. There is a misconception on food and events that take place at senior living communities, and we are here to show you the vibrant lifestyles our residents lead. We will come out of this time stronger than ever, but in the meantime, we’re going to have some fun keeping our distance and making delicious food.”