MVES caregiver families visit Melrose ‘Kitchen’

THE STAFF OF The Kitchen, a unique cooking school in Melrose, gave local families a lesson in cooking healthy, easy and tasty meals. The event was offered as part of the Caregiver Support program at Mystic Valley Elder Services.

MELROSE — Local families have been exploring new activities and adventures through the Memory Café group at Mystic Valley Elder Services (MVES). Memory Cafés bring together people with memory loss and their family caregivers to share positive experiences and build support networks. A Memory Café is offered as part of MVES’ Caregiver Support Program.

Recently, the MVES Memory Café hosted two sessions at The Kitchen, a unique new cooking school in Melrose. The Kitchen welcomed the MVES families with their creative and social approach to culinary education. The Kitchen offers hands-on lessons in preparing healthy, unprocessed food with a focus on bringing people together, so it was a great fit for the group. The families especially appreciated that The Kitchen’s meals are designed to be quick and easy to cook and also delicious to eat, just what a caregiver needs. It was also a great chance for the families to connect with each other, creating new memories while also building support.

MYSTIC VALLEY ELDER Services’ Memory Café, a group for family caregivers and their loved ones with memory loss, received hands-on culinary lessons at The Kitchen in Melrose.

Since 1975, MVES has provided services and supports for older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers in communities in the Greater Boston and North of Boston area. The non-profit agency strives to ensure that all individuals have the resources they need to live independently and with dignity. Services include options counseling, home care, elder protective services, health insurance counseling, caregiver supports, transportation, Meals on Wheels and more. For more information, please call 781-324-7705 or visit www.mves.org.

FAMILIES WHO ATTENDED Mystic Valley Elder Services’ Memory Café at The Kitchen got to flex their culinary creativity while learning to prepare meals that are healthy, simple and tasty, perfect for a busy caregiver.