Providing more meals than the average Dallas restaurant, the Presbyterian Village North (PVN) dining services team works diligently to provide up to 1,200 meals every day. The senior living community is nearing the completion of a $93 million expansion project and now offers residents many options, not only in terms of housing and amenities, but also in dining venues. Currently, residents, friends, family and team members are being offered meals from many different dining venues generously spaced throughout the entire 63 acres which make up PVN. While many people may still have an outdated idea of what senior dining looks like, it is vastly different from the plates of unappealing food served in a cafeteria setting which were given to seniors in the nursing homes of the past. Instead, a new wave of dining trends is taking over the senior living industry, and they are modeling their venues and kitchens after high-class resorts. Just like you would find at a resort, each venue offers a unique dining experience catering to the varied tastes, occasions and needs of the seniors who dine there. Dining Services Director Dane Cummins has worked in the senior living industry for the past 25 years and can speak to the changes and trends that are influencing senior living dining services.

“There have been so many changes over the last couple of decades, most notably that seniors want more variety and they want healthier options,” said Cummins. “Before, providers delivered comfort foods that resembled the ‘home-style’ cuisine many seniors grew up eating around their family dinner tables. Now, seniors are more world-traveled, and they have developed tastes for a broad spectrum of cuisine found all over the world. They also want healthier options, such as stevia sweeteners, Himalayan salt, grass-fed beef, wild salmon, organic fruits and vegetables and alternative cooking oils, which we are happy to provide. We incorporate seasonal vegetables and dishes through a five-week rotating menu, as well as chef’s specials and signature specials. We also offer residents an ‘Always Available’ menu so those with tried-and-true favorites can order them whenever they are in the mood for them. These include a healthy pan-seared salmon, as well as one of the most popular dishes, the Kentucky Hot Brown, a hot sandwich inspired by The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky. with grilled turkey, tomato, bacon and cheddar cheese on Texas Toast. All of these items are cooked fresh on the grill and are accompanied by a number of sides from which residents can choose. In addition to the rotating menu, the always available menu, chef’s specials and seasonal inspirations, the community offers fun weekly specials as well, such as a grass-fed burger cooked with sautéed mushrooms and fried tobacco onions every Wednesday during peak lunch hours.”

The many dining venues that comprise Presbyterian Village North include full-service dining rooms, buffet-style dining areas, full-service private dining rooms, family-style dining areas where residents eat around a large table like a typical family, a bistro, a café and two dining areas for team members. The Café offers options such as the smoked salmon kale salad with feta, the Reuben on marble rye or the French Dip. All breads are delivered fresh to the community daily from a local bakery. The Café also offers light options such as soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and a variety of coffee beverages. Chef’s specials take on all kinds of fun recipes, one of the recent ones being a whiskey-peach-glazed brisket over pinto bean ragout.

“When you talk about a celebrity chef, the residents of Presbyterian Village North don’t think about chefs from major TV networks or at local four- and five-star restaurants, they think of PVN’s head Chef Kevin Neff,” said Cummins. “He is their celebrity chef. He’s the one who makes them happy every day and takes care of their needs and requests. It can be challenging to create dishes that meet the dietary restrictions of seniors, like minimizing salt content, while keeping the flavor. We accept these challenges and work hard every day to ensure that the food not only tastes delicious, but that the presentation, smell and texture of the food is on point as well. The five senses start to diminish as we age, so we put a lot of effort into making sure we cater to senior’s culinary needs and enhance the five senses in any way we can.”

It’s never too late to pursue your dreams, even the dream of modeling, which three senior women have picked up in their retirement. Evelyn Pope, a 74-year-old resident of Presbyterian Village North (PVN), invested her working years in being a teacher, but deep down always wanted to model. Now, in her retirement, Pope had an opportunity to pursue her dream, and she participated as a model for the first time at a fashion show at Canal Clothing. Two other Presbyterian Village North residents, Kris Rose and Judy Morris, accompanied Pope. The fashion show was at Canal Clothing (6465 E. Mockingbird Ln. Dallas, TX 75214) on Tuesday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m.

“Many of our residents like to live outside of the box. Retirement is the perfect time to try new things and embark on new adventures; both big and small,” said Lisa Englander, life enrichment manager of Presbyterian Village North. “We have a lot of fun coming up with creative opportunities for residents to explore new things they have never done before. We were excited to have this fashion show at such a hip boutique store in Lake Highlands.”

“While I attended a previous fashion show, I did not model in it,” said Pope. “I really enjoyed the last show, which prompted me to participate in this most recent show. At the last one, there were women of all different ages and sizes, and they modeled a variety of outfits while the rest of us enjoyed finger foods and beverages. Afterward, we got to try on pieces we were interested in and purchase items at a discount.  When Lisa approached me about participating in this show, I agreed to do it because I thought it would be fun to pick out clothes and accessories to model in front of attendees, some of which are my good friends. This was a totally new experience for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would be delighted to participate in another show again.”

Pope has been living at PVN for a little over a year now, and she looks forward to the unique and wonderful opportunities for self-discovery and exploration in retirement. She never dreamed she would be modeling, yet she has her first fashion show under her belt and she couldn’t be more ecstatic. Pope turned 74 on August 23 and says she doesn’t feel like she’s grown up at all. She still feels current, loves fashion and puts effort into her outfit selection and hair, as well as cute accessories.

“I was surprised at how many younger seniors live at PVN, and I’m encouraged by some of the residents who have been living here longer,” said Pope. “Even though they are in their 80s and 90s they are so involved. This has expanded my outlook on aging and what it is going to be like. I have to say, it has been better and more fun than I thought. A couple of good friends did the show with me, and of course we found some things we cannot live without. The boutique is an eclectic store offering traditional pieces with a unique spin. It reminds me of a boho-chic store fused with traditional women’s clothing. We had so much fun, we all plan to do it again when the opportunity presents itself.”

Kids go to all kinds of summer camps when they are out of school, camps in which they play their favorite sports or learn how to build fires and tie knots from their youth leaders, but there’s a special camp happening in Dallas this week, where children go to a camp led by seniors. Instead of learning how to row a canoe or play board games, these kids are learning about hobbies that seniors are passionate about – hobbies like playing golf, photography and chess. This camp is held annually at Presbyterian Village North, and it’s called Camp PVN. This camp brings the generations together, so they can both learn from each other. Camp PVN is a summer camp held in partnership with Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and NorthPark Presbyterian Church. This camp is not only a time for light-hearted intergenerational activities among children and seniors – it was also a time for learning and sharing special gifts. At this camp, generations of families to come together and learn from each other. The senior living community’s goal is for residents to have the opportunity to share meaningful talents, hobbies and knowledge with participating children. They have a wealth of wisdom and stories to tell, and creating these family friendly events and programs provides opportunities for them to connect with the children. It’s equally beneficial, as the children come to love and respect residents from a different generation even more. In return, the residents are uplifted when they see the children exploring the world – taking in their advice and communicating their own fun stories and knowledge with them. The senior living community created Camp PVN so residents and children in 4th through 7th grades could embark on an amazing, intergenerational journey of fellowship. The summer camp aims to foster spiritual fellowship through volunteer work and opportunities to learn and explore, as well as through daily devotionals and Bible study. The camp, now in its eighth year, incorporates outreach projects, “gift hours,” craft projects and time for mixing and mingling.

Nancy and Larry Miller, and Dub and Betty Miller, all residents of Presbyterian Village North, are proof you can find love at any age. While they have the same last name and the same wedding anniversary, they are not related and they have vastly different love stories. Nancy and Larry met on an Alaskan cruise ship in 2002 and were married on Valentine’s Day 13 years ago. Dub and Betty met during their church’s Christmas play, eloped three years later when they were still teenagers and recently celebrated 75 years of marriage on their anniversary.

Larry was living on a golf course in Florida and Nancy was living in a cute home in Fredericksburg when they started their long distance relationship. The two met on an Alaskan cruise, both ready to travel someplace new, fate bringing them there for different reasons. After meeting up a few times during their vacation and running into each other a few other times, it was obvious they shared a compatible chemistry. At the end of the trip they exchanged contact information, and Nancy told Larry that if he wished to stay in contact it would be up to him. He gladly reached out and the two began a two year long-distance relationship.

“One of our first dates was at Disney World in Orlando, I’m a huge fan,” said Larry. “It was after this date that I tried to kiss Nancy for the first time. I walked her to her hotel room, then tripped in an attempt to kiss her and almost hit the floor. We were both widowed and it had been several years since we had shared a first kiss with someone new. After several more visits and dates over the course of two years, I decided it was time to move to Texas. We didn’t discuss it, I just told her I was willing to move there so she could stay with her group of friends and family which she was deeply connected to. So I traveled there the day before the wedding and moved into Nancy’s on Valentine’s Day. This is the wisest decision I ever made. Naturally, we had Mickey and Minnie mouse cake toppers for our wedding cake.”

“Larry and I are both avid football fans, and are in agreement that if the other was not, it probably would have been a deal-breaker,” said Nancy. “Seeing as we were both married previously, we didn’t think we would find love again or be open to marrying someone else. However, we found that this love and our marriage is strong due to good communication, shared interests, maturity and compatibility. Over the last 13 years, we have developed cute traditions that are uniquely us, like eating pizza and ice cream and watching a movie at home on Friday nights. We believe that the secret to love is greeting each other with a hug and kiss daily and nightly, learning to compromise and truly enjoying the rest of the life you have to spend with your special someone.”

Dub and Betty Miller met in church during the annual Christmas Play in the late 1930s. She was an angel and he played a Wise Man. She looked down from the choir loft and saw he was digging through her purse. He claims he was trying to see if he had any competition, and was searching for a photo or sentiment from another boy. They dated for three years after this incident, then eloped to Durant, Okla., to be married on Valentine’s Day in 1942 by the Justice of Peace.

“Durant was the only city that helped young kids elope at the time,” said Dub. “After we exchanged our vows, we went back to Texas where we continued to live with our parents. Eventually we got our own place and Betty had her first child at 17, the first of three children. Even though we were so young, we feel wholeheartedly that we were the right people for each other. Our advice to young couples is to make sure that their significant other is truly the one, because we’ve noticed a lot of people settle these days and are not truly committed.”

“We met in church and we have spent many years of our life in church since then,” said Betty. “It is still an integral part of our lives. In a relationship this long you have to learn to be patient. It’s important that couples should learn how to overcome their differences without arguing and just stick to it. Love and marriage is about letting go of stubbornness and being committed to one another. After all this time, we are still a part of each other and not complete without the other. Our shared interests are a huge part of our happy relationship, having traveled the world to visit all 50 states and 50 countries, hunted in various parts together and maintained a spiritual life together. He has been the greatest blessing to me!”

“Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love for significant others, friends and family,” said Ron Kelly, executive director of Presbyterian Village North. “We were delighted to host a Valentine’s Day party for everyone during which we celebrate all these relationships, old and new. Both of their love stories are inspiring to us because they demonstrate a few things: that you can find love at any age and that marriage is a commitment that takes a lot of work – but is extremely rewarding.”

Most people can agree that it’s hard living in a large, urban city and making time for the abundance of things you would like to eventually try, see or experience. It’s a nice thought to think that you will someday make it to the new museum to experience the ever changing exhibits, drop by a cultural center to gain new knowledge of other peoples or pop over to a historical building for a tour, but how many of us will actually get around to doing those things? Bill Maina, a resident of Presbyterian Village North, has lived in Dallas for more than 30 years, and he is excited to experience some new places, thanks to the life enrichment team at the senior living community, which is led by Lisa Englander. Recently, the life enrichment team planned a trip to Temple Emanu-El in Dallas so residents could see the newly renovated Jewish Temple.

“I have always been intrigued by Temple Emanu-El, and was delighted to see the new architecture that was part of the renovation project completed this last October,” said Maina. “It was a great trip, and our tour guide was insightful. She explained many details pertaining to the building and the sacred Torah scrolls one of which she pulled out for us to see. It was 250 years old, and had been rescued and brought over from Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust. We learned a lot about the significance and formation of the Torah. It was incredibly fascinating. Being an Episcopalian, I didn’t have much background on the Jewish faith. My knowledge was skimpy, but I felt I learned a great deal on this outing.”

The group of residents toured three different chapels, ending up in the newest chapel where they received a lovely concert sung by Cantor Leslie Niren, associate Cantor at Temple Emanu-El. She played the guitar and sang, prompting the seniors to join along. It was an educational, spiritual and cultural experience that was enjoyed by all who attended.

“I was sought out by several residents who requested I arrange a trip to Temple Emanu-El,” said Englander. “Many of our residents have attended book reviews there previously, and one of our residents said her son’s Boy Scout troop used to meet there. One of our other residents has been a member of Temple Emanu-El for a long time. A different resident’s father was a part of a construction company that helped build the temple as well. In addition, we have a meditation instructor who came here from the temple, and leads two monthly meditation classes for residents to attend. There are many diverse connections, hence why this trip was meaningful to so many people. We plan at least two to three of these off-campus excursions each month. We visit well-known places, local tourist spots and smaller unfamiliar historical sites and museums. I’m happy that the residents feel comfortable coming to me with ideas.”

These outings provide opportunities for social engagement and complement the five aspects of wellness – intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and vocational. The life enrichment team prides itself on finding activities, events and experiences that cater to a variety of interests, ones that residents have never heard of, or have been meaning to do or tried and true favorites in the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Previously, Presbyterian Village North has scheduled trips to see the Federal Reserve Bank and its museum, dance recitals put on by students at Southern Methodist University, the Holocaust Museum, the Dallas Arboretum, The Kimbell Art Museum and so much more. Next month, residents will take a bus to see the Old Red Courthouse Dallas Museum of History and will celebrate the Chinese New Year at Howard Wang’s. The outings are either historical, educational, entertainment-focused or a combination of the three.