Elysium is committed to the nutritional wellbeing of the people we support and we’re continually looking for ways to encourage healthier eating habits and to help service users engage with cooking. At The Limes, they’ve found a way to do this while also raising awareness of physical health. Here, Louise Hamilton, Hospital Director at The Limes, explains how the service’s innovative ‘Fakeaway’ sessions are helping people eat more healthily and gain skills for the future.
“Every month as a service we have a different theme which examines an aspect of physical health. That might be testicular cancer, diabetes, drugs and alcohol or asthma, for example. These are all things that the people we support may be affected by and we aim to give them more information and raise awareness.
“However, it’s difficult to motivate people by simply giving information and it wasn’t always easy to share these important health messages. So we looked at how could we make these sessions more engaging and motivate people to come along.
“The answer was food, specifically our Fakeaways sessions. Takeaways are always popular, who doesn’t love a takeaway? But they’re not known for their health benefits.
We have a number of fast food places nearby and they prove to be very tempting.
“At our Fakeaway sessions, we create dishes which are based on takeaways but are healthy and which taste better. And people love them! Working together with the people we support, we choose the theme or cuisine for our Fakeaway session. The people we support then research and buy the ingredients and then create the meals with the support of our physical health nurse and physical healthcare assistant.
“We then all eat together so as well as being an opportunity to learn new cooking skills, it’s really social and enjoyable too. What’s been great is people realise that they can make these delicious meals quite easily, they taste just as good if not better than the takeaway version, they are cheaper, and it doesn’t take that much time! They also see that by paying the same amount of money for ingredients, they get several portions and so is much better value.
“There have been curries, Mexican, Thai, Chinese and lots of other dishes including harissa chicken, healthy cottage pie and even desserts in the form of healthy protein balls. There are always two courses and there are even drinks that complement the dishes too.
“While the Fakeaway sessions are happening we can then chat about those other physical health topics which are important, but in a more relaxed, less formal way and it opens up conversation and debates about all sorts of different things.
“It’s well-known that research shows people supported in services are at greater risk of gaining weight or being obese, for a whole range of reasons. The sessions are really building people’s motivation to eat more healthily and learn new skills which will benefit them now and in the future.”
For more information on our mental health and wellbeing services or to discuss a potential referral to The Limes, please dial our 24-hour referral line on 0800 218 2398. Alternatively you can email us at referrals@elysiumhealthcare.co.uk or elys.referrals@nhs.net