Cooking education heats up

Good nutrition is key to staying well, and new community education sessions are helping at home support clients learn how to eat healthy for less.

Our Melbourne at home support (AHS) team has introduced a new initiative under the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People, focusing on healthy eating and nutrition for clients in the City of Casey.

The ‘Cook, Eat, Chat’ session recently brought together 10 at home support clients under 65 who receive non-clinical support to remain independent in their own home. Throughout the interactive lunch experience, Chef Pete taught participants how to cook a balanced family meal of spaghetti bolognaise.

Operational Quality Manager Jessica Merrett said the idea behind the sessions is to give clients the opportunity to learn how to prepare a simple, healthy meal, understand what ingredients go well together, and find out about nutritious food from a certified chef. At the same time, clients are having fun and connecting with others in their community.

“We started by looking at what clients in the region needed and after some research we identified that education and access to good nutrition were priorities in the City of Casey,” Jess said.

“It was an area that needed focus, particularly for those with disability or mental health issues, or those needing social support.

“We are very passionate about providing this education to our clients – we are even considering starting shopping sessions with a dietitian for clients to learn how to read food labels and how to select nutritious alternatives so they can make informed healthy choices.”

Future sessions will include a mix of hands-on meal preparation, cooking sessions and shopping education and will be designed to meet the diverse requirements of clients in the community including cultural, age, disability and care needs.  

Images: Chef Pete and team members Veerpal and Rachael teaching clients and carers how to cook a balanced meal.