Local assisted living and memory care community hosts training for national dining program

TRINITY, Fla. (May 23, 2016) – The Watermark at Trinity, a new assisted living and memory care community opening this spring in Trinity, was recently the site of a national training for Watermark Retirement Community’s newest program – Thrive Dining™.

Thrive Dining™ will roll out nationwide this year at Watermark Retirement Communities with Memory Care neighborhoods. The program takes high-quality ingredients and transforms them into tasty, protein-packed meals that are served as bite size hors d’oeuvres intended to be eaten by hand. This allows individuals with cognitive and neuromuscular disorders to eat the same nutritious meals as other residents without using a fork or knife.

“We are always looking for ways to improve the care and enhance the quality of life for our residents,” said Aileen Carlson, Executive Director of The Watermark at Trinity. “With Thrive Dining, individuals who have had strokes or who have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis will be able to enjoy their meals and also maintain a healthy diet.”

The first in a series of trainings was held on May 3-5 and May 9-11 at The Watermark at Trinity and attended by Chefs and Directors of Dining Services from six of the 38 Watermark Retirement Community locations. This included Executive Chefs from The Fountains at Boca Ciega Bay in St. Petersburg and The Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods in Sarasota, as well as communities in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina.

During the training, attendees learned to prepare foods using the Thrive Dining method, which was developed using the patent-pending Grind Dining™ process. The process, which was developed by Chef Sarah Gorham and Chef Stone Morris, takes cooked proteins and grinds them with other ingredients in a unique process so that they retain their taste, texture and flavor. Traditional meals such as beef stroganoff and chicken piccata are transformed into handheld portions that have the same contents and nutritional value as the traditional menu item.

“It’s incredible how these foods maintain the integrity of the dish,” said Carlson. “These are menu items that people have begun requesting at our other communities just for the taste and appeal – that’s how good they are. After tasting the menu, we are so excited to begin offering these options to our residents when they move in next month.”

Chef Sarah Gorham, Chef Stone Morris and Director of Dining Services for Watermark Retirement Communities Rob Bobbitt conducted the training.

About The Watermark at Trinity

Located in Trinity, Fla., The Watermark at Trinity is a 117-apartment assisted living and memory care community opening in the Pasco County suburb of Trinity in April 2016. Differentiators of the new community include certified staff, continuous care and hands-on educational programming. Owned and managed by Watermark Retirement Communities, The Watermark at Trinity is committed to creating an extraordinary community where people thrive.

About Watermark Retirement Communities, Inc.

In 2015, the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) ranked Tucson-based Watermark Retirement Communities as the thirteenth largest senior housing operator in the U.S. Watermark’s commitment to creating extraordinary communities where people thrive dates back to nearly 30 years to when it opened its first retirement community in 1987. A privately held company with a reputation of service, success, growth, integrity and financial stability, Watermark Retirement Communities manages 38 retirement communities coast to coast.