Preetha Kurian, Director of Dietary

While a student in India, Preetha Kurian lived with her grandparents and learned first hand about the aging process and how important she was in their lives. She remembers the nurse from the Red Cross arriving to help with her grandmother; a grandmother who she now knows had Alzheimer's disease. At the time of her grandmother's decline, Alzheimer's was a relatively unknown diagnosis. When she arrived in the U.S. and began working at Heritage of Edina, she learned of the diagnosis and understood that her grandmother had suffered from this debilitating disease.

After 12 years at Heritage of Edina, Preetha still remembers how important she was to her grandmother and now, how important she is to the residents here. So she focuses on a singular goal: She wants to please as many residents as possible through her work. Preetha is the Director of Dietary, and that makes her job very challenging. "Mealtime is a social and spiritual event as well as a functional event," states Preetha. We want everyone to feel pleased and contented when they leave the dining room.

To insure this, Preetha and the long-time staff listen carefully to residents, families and other staff to provide a pleasing experience. In addition, she works closely with the Nursing staff to regularly discuss special diets and changes in eating habits. "My staff may be the first to notice a resident's change in health. Oftentimes we will see a decline in appetite first, or a slow erosion of a resident's ability to feed himself," she explains. "We watch carefully so we notice the gradual changes in individuals and make adjustments to accommodate their needs and help to preserve their dignity."

Of course Preetha and her staff see family members on a regular basis, as many come to share a meal with their loved ones. "The family members feel comfortable to talk with us," she remarks with warmth in her voice. "We receive requests and are asked for our thoughts. We share these conversations with the rest of our staff to make certain we work to balance the needs of the families as well as those of the residents."

During her years at Heritage, Preetha has worked for several managers, and learned many positive aspects of managing people from different perspectives. This experience makes her popular with her staff and with the residents. Heritage feels fortunate to have her as part of the senior management group.

On occasion, Preetha brings her beautiful 11-month- old daughter in to visit the staff and residents. Jacinda is the pride and joy of her life, and Preetha and her husband Alex spend their time enjoying this new addition to their family.

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