Merton Court - residents cooking activity

We loved this story so much we just had to share it with you. "At Merton Court, we always try and celebrate special days of the year, and an obvious way to do that is through food.  Usually our activities officer and our kitchen volunteer put their heads together and arrange to prepare some tasty morsels fitting the occasion.  The residents love these special days, however, this year we said to ourselves ‘let’s see if some of our residents would like to do some of the cooking themselves’.  Of course, we had to make sure all food safety requirements were followed, so some willing participants were found, hands were washed, hair hats were put on and away they went! I’m not sure who gained more from the experience – the residents or the staff observing – either way the result was fantastic!  The joy, the concentration and the skill was evident from this one photo.  It brought back childhood memories for these ladies of cooking with their mother, and it was clear that they had made pastry before. They made pies, damper and sausage rolls for Australia day, and of course the cooks had to taste test first.  A few days later, another resident got to work in the kitchen, cooking one of her favourite recipes too. This photo so warmed my heart, that I had to share it with the Maggie Beer Foundation.  The resident with the big smile has dementia and is usually expressionless as well as not being terribly communicative, struggling to comprehend basic tasks.  Her mobility is poor.  Not this day though!  Cooking brought her back to life – back to being happy and confident."