Caring Cooks is a proposed new Social Enterprise developed by Anthony Zausmer in response to the changing patterns of Welfare delivery for those in need. Anthony's career in catering began in the late 1970s and this not-for-profit project has links to all the Posh Nosh Family services - the brand he established in 1999.
The aim of Caring Cooks is to provide healthy, tailor-made meals for those members of the community with any disability which prevents them from catering for themselves. Where possible - and desirable - we will seek to involve these clients, to an appropriate level, in planning and preparing their own food, in the belief that by encouraging the acquisition and use of these life skills, the chance to live more independent and fulfilled lives will become a reality.
Although designed primarily for those in receipt of Personalised Care Budgets, there are no restrictions at all placed on who can actually access our new service. During the pilot scheme, an initial five clients will be signed up, and any fine-tuning necessary will be implemented from detailed discussion with all concerned. A successful outcome will see see healthy meals being prepared and cooked in the homes of people who have special needs and dietary requirements - for example, the elderly and infirm, those with chronic illnesses, young adults with learning difficulties, and those with other disabilities such as blindness. It has already been established that these are members of society for whom there is either no provision - or very limited scope - for assistance with healthy eating in their own homes.
Flexibility is the keystone of Caring Cooks: an individually-tailored resource which will involve the clients themselves in planning the following week’s menu, to then be prepared and cooked in the client’s own home - probably twice a week so only minimal freezing will be required to produce meals for the whole period - with an appropriate level of involvement from carers and physical assistance from those clients who would benefit therapeutically from such participation.
It appears to be agreed, the world over, that "people's needs are better met when they are involved in an equal and reciprocal relationship with professionals, working together to get things done" [People Powered Health, NESTA, 2011]
It is our belief that through food preparation it will be possible to build the confidence of the people we are serving - many of whom are housebound due to their age, illness or disability - and by providing the additional resource of a luncheon club, meeting perhaps once a month in a community venue, we can go even further in helping to break the isolation of the socially-excluded. Furthermore, by coming together to share meals they have all had a hand in producing, these particular members of our community will be surely encouraged to live more independently.
