Traci Beierwaltes, ADDS, and Christine Scarcello, Nutrition Care Manager, initiated a new program at the Lieberman Center for Geriatric Health in Skokie, IL to get residents excited about an activity they haven’t been able to do for a long time: cooking! The Cooking Club became a reality after receiving positive feedback and interest when it was discussed during the Fire Side Chat back in December. Many residents loved the idea, so collaboration with Life Enrichment Services was made. The residents liked the idea of coming together to enjoy the act of cooking – an activity from their past that they missed.
The Cooking Club turned out to be one of the best-attended events in a long time. Over 25 residents and 6 staff members gathered together in the Social Hall to bake chocolate chip cookies. Premeasured ingredients and recipes were distributed throughout the room, allowing residents to work in groups while socializing.
The residents mixed together the ingredients and then portioned their cookies onto cookie sheets. Traci and Christine took the cookies to the ovens in the kitchen to bake; minutes later, they returned with the freshly baked cookies. As they were rolling them back into the Social Hall, the smell of warm cookies filled the entire first floor lobby, which sparked an even greater interest in the Cooking Club. The event was successful because it engaged the residents in a new activity. Veteran cooks enjoyed this because they had the opportunity to tell each other the “right way” to make cookies. There was a long discussion about future cooking projects while the residents enjoyed their cookies. Leftover cookies were taken back to the residents’ floors to share with others who could not attend this great event!