Community hungry for more ‘cook, eat, chat’ education sessions

Recently, Bolton Clarke At Home Support held the first Cook, Eat and Chat session in the City of Casey. Clients, plus Bolton Clarke support workers gathered in the community centre at North Clyde for an interactive lunch experience.

The session brought together At Home Support clients under the age of 65 who are currently receiving non-clinical support to remain independent in their own home. The focus of the session was on healthy eating and nutrition where participants learnt how to cook a balanced family meal, Spaghetti Bolognese, thanks to Chef Pete.

“We started by looking at what clients in the region needed and after some research we identified that education and access to good nutrition in the City of Casey, particularly for those with disability or mental health issues, or those needing social support, was an area that needed focus,” Operational Quality Manager Jessica Merrett explained.

“We thought it would be great to put together some sessions with a chef so that clients could learn about preparing a healthy meal while seeing how easy it is, learning what ingredients go well together and about nutritional food all while also engaging in social connection and having fun.”

If the session is a success, the team intend to hold the sessions monthly with a mix of hands-on meal preparation, cooking sessions and even nutrition education with a certified dietician.

“We are very passionate about providing this education to our clients, so we are even considering starting shopping session with a dietician for clients to learn how to read food labels, how to select nutritious alternatives and how to compare what is good food and what is better so that they can make informed healthy choices.” Jessica continued.

With this group of clients under 65 in the City of Casey Local Government Area, the team are keen to meet their diverse needs– whether that be cultural, age, disability or care needs.

The session is funded by the Victorian Department of health HACC Program for Younger People and with the cost of living continuing to rise, the food provided on the day has been generously covered by Bolton Clarke donors. This allows clients to engage in activities that will support them to stay independent at home without worry of financial implications.

If you would like to find out more about Home and Community Care, call 1300 22 11 22 or email hello@boltonclarke.com.au