Kinesiology & Health Sciences
UWaterloo
Cooking Together was developed to address stigma, support social inclusion and develop and retain food skills. Cooking Together is an 8-week program designed for youth (aged 18-30) and persons experiencing cognitive change. Youth have the opportunity develop new skills and social interactions with older adults, while participants with cognitive change have the opportunity to practice and retain cooking skills, while developing new relationships. Recipes follow the Brain Health Food Guide and stimulate interest in new ingredients and ways of cooking. At each session, a full meal is created, usually based on four dishes. Participants decide what they want to make that day and pair up to create the dish. They are mentored in specific cooking techniques, with participants choosing what they will do and work on. At the end of the cooking period, the group sits down to eat together. Cooking Together was developed and evaluated in a three-phase process including a feasibility pilot. In addition to being feasible in different settings, preliminary results indicate positive impact with respect to supporting feelings of confidence, inclusion, and wellbeing. Several lessons were learned and these have been developed into a leaders’ guide and website for use by community providers.
Dr. Heather H. Keller RD PhD FDC is an internationally recognized expert in geriatric nutrition and Research Chair in Nutrition and Aging at the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging. A Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, she has dedicated her career to improving nutrition care for older adults in hospitals, communities, and long-term care. Dr. Keller has developed widely used tools to assess nutrition risk, food satisfaction, and mealtime experiences, and her work has shaped international standards in malnutrition care. She has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and is a past chair and co-chair of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force, while also serving on national and global advisory bodies, including the Lancet Commission on Frailty. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She continues to mentor future leaders and advance geriatric nutrition care worldwide.