Seems like old times
New ‘Wish’ program brings memories of OldWorld to life at Tinley Park facility
Lise Chose turned 87 with a trip down memory lane.
Chose, a resident atPorter Place inTinley Park, is from Germany so the staff helped recreate her childhood memories with food and song from the old country.
Porter Place is an assisted living facility focusing onmemoryand dementia care and Bobbi Kelley, the, community relations director, said even residents who cannot remember recent events can recall older memories.
“We are exclusively memory support only, so as someone progresses through their disease, they lose current memories but they can remember the past sowe try to connect them with the past, and we try to help them connect with something that feels good so they can remember things,” Kelley said.
ThenewprogramisdubbedAsYouWish and Kelley said the Tinley Park facility is already planning a second event later this week, recreating a beauty pageant for another resident.
Chef Klaus Bier Stube provided the food atMonday’s event. Kelley said the Frankfort restaurant has special meaning for Chose as she and her husband were friends with the founder.
“Mike (Ditschler) has taken over the business and we called him to recreate the experience,” Kelley said. “We wanted to bring herMike’s restaurant, Chef Klaus Bier Stube.”
Ditschler said hewas happy to help out. “Certainly; she’s German and it’s her last wish,” he said. “We wanted to come help her out and we didn’t charge for any of the food. It’s our honor and pleasure to come and do this.”
Ditschler also brought along Peter Hoffman, the restaurant’s yodeling accordionist, to play as well. Hoffman — and most everyone else whether staff of Porter Place or Chef Klaus Bier Stube — dressed in traditional German garb.
Janet Burke, Chose’s daughter, said she last took her mother to Germany in 2019 and while she still has a brother there, she left what would be come East Germany shortly after WWII.
“She left as a young girl,” Burke said. “When Russia took over, she didn’t want to stay.”
Burke said she was overcome with emotion when she saw the effort Porter Place and Ditschler put into the event.
“Oh, I’m crying. I’m crying,” she said. “She can’t believe it. She thought I did this and I said, ‘No, they did this for you.’ ”
The menu included Wiener schnitzel, liver dumpling soup, red cabbage and apple strudel, but the cherry on top was the real German beer, Burke said.
“The fact that they left her have a German beer,” Burke said. “You gotta have
the German beer.”
The lunchwas also the first time mother and daughter had shared a meal since the pandemic.
Kelley said Porter Place knew how important Chose’s German heritage was to her because they do extensive histories with family members.
“As part of our admission process, we get their life story and their families tell us their granule details of their past and what they enjoyed and their heritage,” she said.
So, to make it as authentic as possible, they reached out to Ditschler.
“Although the food is very good here, we couldn’t duplicate Chef Klaus Bier Stube,” Kelley said.
Ditschler said his restaurant’s been open 45 years and it’s still going strong through the pandemic with takeout orders and outdoor seating even as its dining room is closed.
“We have a good following,” he said. “Thank God for our flowing in these times.”