In Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, Australia’s food icon, former Bankstown schoolgirl Beer leads an ambitious world first social experiment to transform the meals and dining experience at an aged care home.
Careful not to finger-point too much, 78-year-old Beer, the 2010 Senior Australian of the Year, says that carers, cooks, chefs and kitchen hands are over-worked and underpaid, with burnout all too common in a rapidly growing industry already in crisis and expected to expand by 80 per cent in 20 years.
The most compelling evidence comes from the residents themselves.
Asked what they miss most at mealtimes, with many having cooked at home regularly, flavour comes first.
One Indian-born resident sighs at a lack of spice, particularly as tastebuds dull with age (it’s why Beer encourages the team to add a dash more salt to dishes). Another misses Italian grub and they all wish there were more choices.
The Maggie Beer Foundation has been running face-to-face training courses for cooks and chefs since 2014, providing hands on experience and peer networking, and now provides online training modules that aged care centres can benefit from.
These modules cover tempting finger food and sandwiches, cooking techniques, presentation, kitchen gardens, texture modified food, indigenous foods, dining experience, maximising flavour and high protein.
“I was horrified to hear the recent Royal Commission findings, which reveal that 68 per cent of Australians in residential aged care are either at risk of malnutrition or are malnourished,” Beer said.
“This is totally unacceptable in our society.
“When the training is taken back into aged care homes, we have seen dramatic changes in the engagement of staff and the wellbeing of the residents.”
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, screening on the ABC on Tuesday at 8.30pm, is also available on ABCiview.
TOO often aged care residents are offered meals that they don’t want to eat, affecting their health and emotional wellbeing, and it can lead to malnutrition.
If you’re not happy with the food they are receiving in care, it’s perfectly reasonable for you to raise this with the aged care home’s manager.
Here’s five important questions to ask:
1. I’m aware older people need to eat 30 grams of protein three times a day. Can you show me the meals that meet that protein content?
2. Is it possible for the residents to choose their meals from a menu selection?
3. Are the meals made with fresh food on site or are they brought in from an external kitchen?
4. Can residents choose from a range of healthy snacks at any time of day?
5. If your loved one has dysphagia, (swallowing issues) ask what options there are for texture modified meals.
You can also call the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline on 1800 844 044 with questions, concerns and complaints.
