Coterie Brings Revolutionary Mayo Clinic Wellness Home to Residents

Over the past two decades, research suggests that adults reporting positive feelings about their lifestyle correlates to better physical and mental health outcomes. Our happiness and our health are closely intertwined, a connection that only grows more significant as we age.

 

But adopting a strategy to put this concept into everyday practice can be challenging. Every individual will have different goals and motivators that inform what a fulfilling wellness routine will look like for them. So how can older adults develop a successful plan that empowers them to get the most out of their lifestyle, dietary, and fitness objectives?

 

Perhaps no medical research institute has explored this question more thoroughly and successfully than Mayo Clinic. To capitalize on their world-renowned expertise, Coterie has formed an innovative collaboration with Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Coach Training Program to provide our residents with the best dietary options available for their wellness.

 

What is Wellness Coaching?

 

The tenets of Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Coach Training Program evolved from breakthrough strategies devised to help people successfully quit bad habits. Experts discovered that these same techniques could also be applied to a myriad of positive health situations.  

The process starts by consulting with a wellness coach about your health and lifestyle goals.

 

“A wellness coach is an attentive listener,” says Jamie Friend, Director of Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Coach Training Program. “Listening to a client – learning who they are, what brings them joy, what values they hold – is key to establishing a relationship built on trust. And from a place of trust, we can discover what goals they have for themselves.”

 

These goals can be large or small. Perhaps someone wants to re-engage with a hobby, or they have a specific book they’ve been meaning to read. Maybe they want to take more long walks with friends or make substantial changes to their diet. Being able to articulate these feelings to another person, especially one trained in Mayo Clinic’s groundbreaking wellness coaching methods, is an essential step towards putting goals into practice.

 

Once someone has established their wellness objectives, the wellness coach helps them develop a realistic program that empowers them to achieve their health and lifestyle goals on their own terms.

 

As Mayo Clinic's website puts it, “the collective goal is to help you explore, achieve, and live the best quality of life possible as you envision it on various levels of your life outside the healthcare setting.”

 

Wellness Coaching and the Coterie Community

 

Mayo Clinic’s leadership and results-based approach set it apart in the field of wellness coaching. Staff members that have completed the rigorous training program can put its proven methods and insights into practice at Coterie's residential assisted living environment.

 

“No matter where you are in life’s journey, people want to reach their full potential,” says Ally Crockett, Director of Hospitality Innovation at Coterie. “Wellness coaching offers a space where individuals can tap into those personal desires while being inspired by a community that supports everyone in their pursuits.”

 

Coterie believes that the transition to a new living environment can bring opportunities for personal growth and contentment. As part of the welcome and orientation to the Coterie community, residents are given a full overview of the amenities and engagement sessions that can enhance one’s daily experiences.

 

Equally important is the opportunity to speak with a wellness coach to create a healthy living plan tailored to the goals and needs of each individual resident. And for as long as this plan proves beneficial, residents have the option to keep working with a wellness coach to ensure the tangible results continue.

 

Culinary Wellness at Coterie

 

Mayo Clinic’s expertise also guides Coterie’s culinary philosophy. Coterie Executive Chef Chad Welch and his team collaborate regularly with Mayo Clinic specialists to create dishes optimized for cognitive nutrition, providing residents with delicious meals incorporating superfoods, micronutrients, and antioxidants that can better one’s mood, increase energy levels, and improve cognitive functioning in older adults.

 

Mayo Clinic Wellness Executive Chef Jennifer Welper specializes in crafting flavorful, healthy dietary plans. With degrees in both culinary arts and nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, Welper has built a distinguished career with guiding principles that are reflected in her book, Cook Smart, Eat Well: Mayo Clinic Recipes and Strategies for Healthy Living.

 

“We know the culinary choices that can add longevity to people’s lives,” Welper says, noting that the right ingredients can decrease the risks of heart disease and certain cancers while also helping to prevent conditions like osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes. “It can absolutely be accomplished without taking the pleasures and goodness out of food.”

 

Welch agrees that the collaboration has been a success.

 

“Not only do we have access to the full library of Mayo Clinic recipes, but we have Jen and her expertise to consult with when building our menus. She’ll have suggestions, like using a different cooking oil or adding walnuts, which are high in antioxidants, to a salad. Working in conjunction results in menus that are fresh and highly nutritious.”

 

The thoroughness and thoughtfulness that go into every part of the Coterie culinary program also help elevate the dining experience for residents of Coterie’s memory care neighborhoods. For example, the kitchen staff takes care to fragrance the air with fresh food aromas at every mealtime to arouse residents’ appetites.

 

“Our memory care dining is a totally bespoke experience,” Welch says. “We have a full gourmet kitchen dedicated to the memory care floor, so we can customize and personalize their meals. If one of our residents is in the mood for tortellini on Tuesday, we’re going to make them tortellini on Tuesday.”

 

A Winning Team to Keep You Moving Forward

 

Fitness, diet, and wellness are essential to maintaining our overall health and happiness. Coterie prides itself on offering an unrivaled luxury senior living experience, and this innovative collaboration with Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Coach Training Program provides residents with the tailored support they need to achieve their own personal best.

Coterie operates a portfolio of luxury senior living communities spanning the East and West Coasts. Please note that the services, partnerships, and amenities mentioned in this article may vary by location.