Cookery classes for Male Carers
GMIT hosts first nutrition and cookery course for carers
Ireland’s first ever nutrition and cookery course for male carers took place at the Hotel School in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) last week.
The HSE West Carers Department and Community Nutrition and Dietetic Services in partnership with The Carers Association and GMIT recently developed the innovative ‘Nutrition and Cookery Course’ for male family carers in Galway.
The course had a very practical focus and carers were given the opportunity to practise cooking different meals. The course included input from HSE West Dietician Manager Marguerite O’Donnell, who offered clinical expertise in determining if the carer and the care recipient had a nutritious diet and how to provide one, portion sizes and the range of special diets or therapeutic diets which the carer or the care recipient may be adopting.
Eamonn Hoult, from the GMIT Hotel School, delivered the practical sessions. Cookery demonstrations were given on soups, egg and milk-based dishes, steaming meat, fish and vegetables, roasting, stews and casseroles, stir-frying, grilling and baking.
“The Family Carers Health Survey conducted in Ireland in 2009 by the College of Psychiatry of Ireland found that ‘cooking meals’ was identified as the most commonly undertaken task by carers, which was identified by 89 per cent of carers in the study. Over half of the carers indicated that they required training in relation to ‘nutrition and cooking meals’,” said Michelle Harrison, Manager, Carers Department, HSE West.
“The reason why we decided to specifically select male carers in this initiative was because male family carers often have to take over preparing meals and arranging grocery shopping for their spouse, parent, child or sibling due to a change in their loved ones condition, such as, due to a stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, a cancer diagnosis, etc. In addition, it was felt that the course would also have the dual effect of being a social outlet and a social support for male carers,” said Sharon Deering, Training Manager, The Carers Association.
http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/62/2011-46/
