Bendigo TAFE is excited to announce the return of its cooking assistance program for male carers in partnership with Bendigo Health’s Carer Support Services.
The cooking program, which will begin on 19 May, aims to support individuals who look after family who are sick or disabled. Majority of participants are expected to be older males aged over 50 years.
The program will draw on the successes of its previous iterations that ran from 2011 to 2014. Participants will learn about general cooking, nutrition, produce selection, knife skills and kitchen hygiene.
Nicole Mynard, Senior Culinary Teacher for Hospitality said the program was an opportunity for Bendigo TAFE to support local community by empowering these carers with the ability to create healthy meals for themselves and their partners.
“Some participants need to learn new skills as their partners have done all of the cooking over the years and can no longer do so due to ill health,” said Nicole.
“This program will enable them to prepare meals that are easy and healthy, and they can take it home after the class. We also give them a recipe book – we have done this in the past and the men have said they found it very helpful”.
Cooking aside, the program also aims to provide male carers with a supportive environment to socialise and interact.
“The program offers more than just cooking skills. The men love to get out of their home for a few hours to talk to other blokes. It’s a great way to build connections and even form a support network within the community,” she added.
The program will be delivered at Bendigo city campus over six weeks, with classes held weekly.
