Combined March 26 jw v2 - Flipbook - Page 14
Hayling Herald Community update
Dementia Friendly Hayling
By Jane Ward from Dementia Friendly Hampshire
LAST month we talked about how using soup makers can benefit carers
of someone living with dementia.
Cooking often becomes a chore instead of a joy for carers and spare time
is at a premium when it comes to cooking for lunch or dinner.
It’s easy to fall back on the convenience of microwave meals. Thanks to
Hampshire County Council and the Household Support Grant, we have
created two courses, one providing ideas for soup makers and one for slow
cookers, each of six simple recipes.
We have completed the project for the Household Support Grant now,
but the legacy is that we have the recipe cards and YouTube videos which
we hope to make available on our website soon.
In the meantime, they are available as PDF files and links which we can
send you.
We talked about soup makers last month but slow cookers are also amazing pieces of equipment – I use mine regularly, especially in winter when it
is great to come home to a warming stew, curry, bolognaise or chili.
I started using the slow cooker when I was caring for my mum. In the
early days she would help me with some of the preparation by peeling and
cutting up vegetables, and valued being part of the process.
We could do the prep sat at a table or even on a tray on her lap and add
them to the pot. She didn’t need to stand at a sink or stove. Eventually she
wasn’t able to help prepare the ingredients, but I could do it whenever I had
a few minutes often before she got up.
I could easily fall back on pre-prepared frozen vegetables when I didn’t
have time or the energy to prepare them myself, or if I hadn’t had the opportunity to go shopping.
Another huge benefit of the slow cooker is that it gently cooks over a long
period of time and has no fixed serving time unlike many other meals. You
can serve up at any time to fit round your loved one’s needs.
Carers cope with enough stress each day without also having to deal with
meal timings.
Finally, a person with dementia can have inhibited appetite. They may
struggle to recognise that they are hungry if a meal is presented to them
without stimulating their appetite first.
In the same way that the smell of coffee in a café or freshly baked bread in
a supermarket may spark a desire for us to treat ourselves, the aroma of a
meal gently simmering in a slow cooker may help stimulate the appetite of
a person with dementia.
Contact Pamatdfh@gmail.com for more details.
Hayling Hunniz WI
By Lizzie Cornelius
THE start of the year has seen us with expanding
memberships.
We have welcomed some lovely new women from
Hayling Island who have enjoyed their evenings.
First up in January was our speaker Tracy Jacobs
who runs her business Train with Tracey on Hayling
Island.
She was previously an Olympic sailor and her
ethos is to help not only women with physical
training but also nutritional balance and mental
wellbeing.
She led the group perfectly into our January meeting and covered all aspects of wellbeing of which
we all took a great deal from and some members
have been inspired and signed up to work with her
individually and in some of her group sessions. For
further details, you can find Tracey on Facebook.
February is a time of love and we were overwhelmed with Alexis who came and enlightened
14
us of the selfless work of the Rowans Hospice who
provide free palliative and end of life care.
Their dedicated hospice care is available around
the clock either in house or at home. They are a
hospice charity and 78% of their income is generated by legacies, donations, fundraising and retail
shops. She finished the talk with a few gifts and
cards which our members purchased to raise funds
for the charity.
We finished the evening with chocolate hearts,
cups of tea and lots of laughs whilst playing a love
quiz.
Still fancy joining our lovely team? Pop along on
the first Tuesday of the month at the Hayling Island
Community Centre from 7pm to 9 pm where you
will be warmly welcomed.
Your first meeting is free, your next two meetings
cost £5 each before you need to make a decision to
join.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Akexis from The Rowans
