Home Instead Senior Care's White Rock location is inviting the community to take part in a recipe contest that encourages families to prepare and share a meal with their senior loved one.
The contest is part of a public education program, Craving Companionship, that was created after a research study conducted for Home Instead Senior Care network showed that lack of the shared family experience is the biggest mealtime challenge for seniors.
The program offers family caregiver tips and practical advice to encourage companionship and easy healthy meals, and is designed to help combat elderly depression and loneliness.
"Many seniors need help planning and preparing nutritious meals," Wes Colby, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in White Rock, said in a release. "But that's only part of the story. Many seniors want to relive a time around the dinner table when they are sharing their lives with the people they love most."
For the Homemade Memories Recipe Contest, family caregivers are encouraged to find a favourite family dish they can share with a senior in their life.
Families then have until Sept. 15 to enter the recipe and a story about what makes the dish special.
Selected recipes and stories will be posted online, as well as in a cookbook that will be available for purchase for the 2011 holiday season.
Proceeds will go to the non-profit Home Instead Senior Care Foundation to benefit North American seniors.
For more details, including guidelines and prizes, visit www.mealsandcompanionship.com