Dennis Dulniak, co-founder of Dementia-friendly Dining in Central Florida, is the loving Care Partner for his wife Nancy who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2015. Through the journey together they have traveled extensively, pursued quality life experiences and fully engaged in activities to ward off the progression of Nancy’s Alzheimer’s. Even though Nancy had been placed in a local Memory Care Community, Dennis enjoyed taking her out to local businesses for meals and other treats like ice cream and deserts. Having learned of other communities that established Dementia-friendly Dining, Dennis teamed with co-founder Toni Gitles, Certified Caregiving Consultant, author of "21 Mistakes of Caregiving and Ways to Avoid Them," and Educator with Heart of Caregiving and Edith Gendron, Executive Director with the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center to help provide personnel training, scheduling and marketing.
The Meatball Stoppe willingly accepted the invitation to be Orlando’s first Dementia-friendly Dining restaurant and opened their backroom “La Famiglia” every Tuesday from 11 am to 6 pm. Owners and Chef’s Isabella and Jeff Morgia are overjoyed when Dennis brings Nancy for another happy time at The Meatball Stoppe! Unfortunately, COVID-19 brought an abrupt end to continuing and extending Dementia-friendly Dining in March 2020. Sadly, Nancy passed away January 26, 2021 after over seven years with Alzheimer's. In her honor as a lifelong librarian, Dennis and his sons Mark and Craig created Nana's Books Foundation that now is providing grade-appropriate books on Alzheimer's, dementia, and other disabilities to public libraries and students in Title I schools.
We were happy to restart Dementia-friendly Dining in May 2022 and will be continuing to announce new locations, days and times. Hollerbach's in Sanford was added in July 2024 that brought the active restaurants back for five.
In November 2024, we were thrilled to have the signature steakhouse A Land Remembered as the first fine dining option and expand the number of community restaurants offering Dementia-friendly Dining. Dan Giordano, General Manager of Rosen Shingle Creek said “From the moment that I was introduced to the dementia-friendly dining initiative, I had an innate sense that this effort was a perfect correlation with our company’s core principles and mission. All of us at Rosen Hotels & Resorts look forward to making a difference in the lives of not only those afflicted with dementia, but the ever so important caregivers as well. I remain excited about the prospect of expanding our reach and anxiously await the opportunity to introduce our property to these organizations’ participants.”
If you are a restaurant or aware of places that may be potential Dementia-friendly Dining location, please email cfldfd01@gmail.com.
