‘What’s Cookin’–An Adventure in Quality Home Care
June 9th – 11th, Wesley Homes Home Health Aides were trained in food safety, nutrition, best practices for shopping and the best part – cooking class with Wesley Homes Executive Chef Chuck Chalfant.
Pictured with Executive Chef Chuck Chalfant from left to right are HH Staff: Ellen Martin, Karen Bjelland, Maria Pullido, Precios Velasco, Yoko Davis; and Valerie Rawlinson, Wesley Homes Registered Dietitian.
The point of the class was to make that perfect home-made meal, “the way Americans like it,” said Arnold Alejandrino, Directory of Culinary Services for Wesley Homes. The cooking class was held in the elegant Seattle test kitchen and class room provided by Bargreen Ellingson, a vendor of Wesley Homes.
It’s important to an individual’s satisfaction if a cook knows how to prepare food to order, for instance, “how to make fluffy eggs, what an over easy egg is, or how to prepare an over-medium or over-hard egg,” said Alejandrino, “how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, pork chops, macaroni salad, hamburgers and meat loaf.”
Getting hungry yet? These are “comfort foods” that make people feel cared for if they’re prepared in a way that reminds a client of their favorite home-cooked foods.
“Many of our home health aides are foreign born,” explained Alejandrino, “They provide great care, and they’re probably great cooks in their own right, but not necessarily for an older American client who is used to a certain type of cuisine.”
“When we make menu plans it’s all based on the client’s preferences as well as their dietary needs,” said Alejandrino, “we can accommodate food allergies through this program.”
Alejandrino wrote the home health care proposal for Wesley Homes in order to provide their health aides a nutritional background and some standardization and best practices for shopping for the dietary needs of clients including reading ingredients on labels and safety in food handling and cooking.
Wesley Homes Home Health certified aides are taught hands-on classes and equipped with a kitchen kit and recipe binders including menu, recipes and a client’s dietary card.
There are a lot of people from other agencies inquiring about how they can send their own home health care aides to our classes,” said Alejandrino, “as far as I know Wesley Homes is the only home health care provider doing this.”
–ilene little for Wesley Homes
June 29th, 2009 at 7:29 am
It is wonderful to see that in addition to providing terrific meals for residents, Arnie is helping to insure that everyone can prepare a delicious and healthy meal for themselves, too.
Sten Crissey
July 8th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
This is truly a unique offering that Wesley Homes, because of the network with retirement communities and home health, can provide to its staff and clients. Our dining program has been outstanding. I had a minute steak in the dining room the other night that was perfectly cooked and flavorful!
July 28th, 2009 at 10:04 am
The Home Health staff are proud and excited to bring the quality of the Wesley Homes Communities to your home.
The culinary services program allows both home health clients and caregivers to feel comfortable and confident with meal choices and preparation that were created with our clients food preferences and nutrional needs in mind.
If you are looking for in-home care for you or a loved one, we have caregivers who have taken this special training available to assist you now.