Hi Karen, Every facility has its own procedures for cooking sessions.
Mostly there are two or three residents helping with the cooking and 6 to 8 watching. 'Watching' is a very therapeutic activity for people who are no longer able to do cooking. By 'helping' it usually means one resident breaks the eggs into a container, or peels potatoes, or tops and tails green beans, or stirs the batter.
You usually have a resident 'supervisor' and a 'taster'; as long as they have fun.
The sensory benefits of cooking go beyond the residents' 'help'; the aroma, the utensils, the clatter; it brings back pleasant memories, ideal for reminiscing.
The most important thing is that residents are safe at all times; ovens, frying pans, hot water, should be kept well away from the reach of residents.
Can I ask about gloves? I have done some basic cooking and food prep activities, sometimes with gloves and sometimes without. Putting the flimsy rubber gloves on some residents takes such a long time, very very fiddly and they get very frustrated too.
I cannot believe it has been a full year since I started using Golden Carers. I remember going back and forth mentally if I wanted to try something new or keep on paying for an older resource that we didn't use often and was much more expensive for the entire year. I'm so glad I chose to make the switch and now here I am renewing my membership for the 2nd year. This site is great! Keep up the good work
Thanks Karen.
Mostly there are two or three residents helping with the cooking and 6 to 8 watching. 'Watching' is a very therapeutic activity for people who are no longer able to do cooking. By 'helping' it usually means one resident breaks the eggs into a container, or peels potatoes, or tops and tails green beans, or stirs the batter.
You usually have a resident 'supervisor' and a 'taster'; as long as they have fun.
The sensory benefits of cooking go beyond the residents' 'help'; the aroma, the utensils, the clatter; it brings back pleasant memories, ideal for reminiscing.
The most important thing is that residents are safe at all times; ovens, frying pans, hot water, should be kept well away from the reach of residents.