A Night of Fairy Tales and Friends at Ringwood

Last week, The Heathers’ Ringwood residents received a special surprise from Klaudia, one of our CNAs. Klaudia whipped up a delicious German-food inspired feast for everyone to enjoy.  I got to discuss with Klaudia and the residents what were some of their highlights of the enchanted evening.

Klaudia was inspired to create this whimsical night after discussing the residents' ancestry with them. “[We] had several conversations about [how some had] German descent, and since we did a Polish night the week before, I wanted to celebrate their heritage as well, and offer something new and interesting for dinner. Food is always included in celebrations and they were excited to have some fun fare.”

Klaudia created a delicious German feast for everyone to enjoy. Chicken schnitzel with herbed gravy was served along with Krautsalat. Cucumber and dilled cream finger sandwiches on rye rounded out the entree with a potato and bean stew to boot. Resident Gert was delighted with the spread. She reminisced to me “my father was from Germany and my mother from Hungary, it tasted like something my mother would have made and my father would have enjoyed. It was very authentic!”

After dinner, dessert was paired with renditions of several of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Plum tea and gingerbread cookies fit in perfectly with the tale of Hansel and Gretel. You could say it was a very sweet combination despite the bitter tale. Resident Mike remarked how he “was surprised at Hansel and Gretel; it was meant for children but it was really quite brutal.”

Rapunzel was another hit of the evening. Gert said it has always been her favorite as it is “not as grim as some of the others.” We both had a laugh at her unintentional pun.

Klaudia and the residents plan to have many similar evenings in the future. Since fairy tales are always popular, fairy tales from other cultures would make a great  tradition. Klaudia enthused, “I brought in an old globe last week so maybe we'll spin it and see where we land to plan a theme together. Their input created anticipation and excitement, so that's fun. With the new residents, I'm looking forward to speaking with their families to get more ideas.”

Overall it was a magical night for everyone and we can’t wait to see what adventures the Ringwood residents will experience next.