Cooking course adds spice for elderly

KIRK HARGREAVES/The Press

SWEET DISH: Dietitian Hiedee Hantz helps Stan Sturgess, 76, create a dessert.

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Stan Sturgess has never been much of a cook. "I used to work 14-hour days and everything like that was left to the wife," the 76-year-old said.

Now divorced, he is in charge of his own meals and jumped at the chance of a community cooking course for the elderly.

His Tuesday class is run by the Christchurch City Council for social housing residents. After starting weekly classes in October, Sturgess said he had learnt a lot about his nutritional needs and was using recipes for the first time.

"I wanted to improve what I was doing. I was stuck to the old routines of cooking the old-fashioned way. What we are learning here is new ideas," he said.

Canterbury District Health Board project dietitian Hiedee Hantz designed the pilot cooking course. It covers basic nutrition for the elderly, breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas, and budgeting and buying for one or two people.

"Even though some people might have good cooking skills, they have cooked for the family all their life so find it difficult to cook and shop for one," Hantz said.

"We have other people whose wives have passed away. Some haven't cooked before."

She said the social side of the class, where people would share a meal, was important as many were socially isolated in their homes.

She tried to encourage participants to add more fruit, calcium and protein to their diets, rather than making do with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

"If they are well-nourished and eating right it can really have a big impact on their health." Hantz said funding was always a problem.

She wanted other community groups to start running the course and take referrals if needed. Brian Cairns, 69, said the course had given him the confidence to go beyond meat and frozen vegetables.

He had made his own pizza and coleslaw and was now enjoying cooking because the food "tastes nice".