Carers in Herts
Online
Being a carer by definition, is someone who provides unpaid care to children, elderly, sick, or disabled relative or friend. It is one of the hardest but most rewarding jobs. It’s not a career choice but something that lands at your door.
Since the outbreak of Covid, the numbers of carers have increased by 4.5 million - an increase of around 50% (the numbers are based on the 2011 census). The total number of unpaid carers in the UK is 13.6 million - 1 in 4 adults. Not only have the numbers of carers grown in the pandemic but also the proportion of who are in paid work. 1 in 10 are having to juggle working lives with that of a carer.
Cooking meals for loved ones can be a challenge for all sorts of reasons. Making them healthy and nutritionally balanced is difficult, made harder because of time restrictions and budget constraints.
In some cases, carers have to deal with food intolerances such as gluten or eggs. There may be medical conditions such as coeliac disease, diabetes or Crohn’s that make food preparation difficult.
Prior to the pandemic making life so difficult, I worked with Carers in Herts running workshops. When Covid struck, I was determined to keep running courses as I knew many carers would be self-isolating. They would need, not only support around food, but social interaction and some light relief. I was fortunate to win a grant to make this happen.
At the beginning of the course, I carried out a brief survey to assess whether participants enjoyed cooking, how confident they were, and what knowledge they had about how to cook nutritious meals.
For the most part, carers were not confident in the kitchen nor in providing nutritious meals. They often used jars and packets because their time was precious. Nutrition was sacrificed for convenience.
The course was run on Zoom, for an hour twice a month. The format was for me to cook a dish with the carers watching and asking questions. As the course progressed some of the participants would cook along which added to the fun. There was demand for some additional evening sessions focussed on specific topics such as gluten free baking and diabetes.
There was good attendance with around 20 people for each session - a mixture of men and women. Some participants attended every session, others dropped in and out, and we often had new people in each session. As far as I was aware, no one
knew each other before the course so new friendships were made. From the beginning all the attendees shared ideas and thoughts.
A feedback survey at the conclusion came up with some interesting findings:
- 68% were more confident to cook and their knowledge and skills had increased.
- 65% said that it had enabled them to find an interest outside caring
- 52% felt the course had helped them be listened to.
Some comments:
“Watching the demo by Sarah was encouraging and makes you realise that healthy does not have to break the bank.”
“Cooking can be an easy experience with excellent results and leaves you looking forward to the next workshops”
“I love being able to join a like-minded group of people to learn and share new cookery tips, and all this from the comfort of my own home during my working day is brilliant!”
“It so helps the feelings of isolation during lockdown. Thank you to everyone that’s involved with setting up and running them. It’s very much appreciated!”