Ergonomics

I think that ergonomics is important when considering my activity of cooking. From past experiences i know how difficult it is to cook in a kitchen that has unfamiliar set up or uses different cooking tools. This can make the task at hand both awkward and time consuming. This issue is often seen when carrying out a kitchen assessment. In my past placements there have been many discussions around whether in ward kitchen assessments provide an accurate overview of the clients level of ability. This is because not only may the client be in a new environment but they also may be asked to carry out a task that they are not familiar with or a task they complete in a different way to what is considered 'normal'. As Caulton and Dickson (2007) discuss, activities need to be constantly adjusted to meet the needs of those involved with the particular activity as this will ensure that activities intended purpose is met. I believe this to very important, not just when cooking but when completing all tasks.

So far i have been involved with my activity of cooking most days. I have either felt the need to experiment and cook something new and exciting or i have cooked dinner with my flatmates. Most meals that i have made has involved different ingredients and methods of cooking. As i am more familiar with my environment than earlier in the year, i find it easier to adjust and take notice of certain cues to cook a meal. Cooking normally begins with a verbal cue of someone stating that they are hungry but this can normally be due to another cue such as an advert on TV about food, a rumbling stomach or smells from others cooking. The activity of cooking means a lot more to me know that i think about it in more detail. I have used what i have learnt in my course so far to evaluate each time i am involved in cooking. An example of this is the Person, Occupation and Environment framework. After making pasta the other night i was considering these three components:

Person - i was very relaxed as my flatmate and i were making the pasta together (which meant a smaller work load) and we had made this meal before several times so it was very familiar.
Occupation - the steps that we used to cook this meal were semi structured as we allocated tasks to each other, but we did not follow a recipe. We also tended to swap tasks every now and then such as cutting up onions.
Environment - this activity was made slightly more difficult as our kitchen was not clean. this meant that space was restricted and our first choice of equipment to make the meal was not available. However, the main components of our environment such as our oven, were not effected by this so the meal didn't take too much longer than normal to make.

These three areas are very helpful to use to think about before, during and after completing a task. I may consider them more in the future before starting to make a meal as it may mean the task is completed in a more effective way.