Aged care resident Wendy welcomes improvements to food and dining
Wendy moved to Victoria’s regional Heathcote area to be closer to her daughter Marla.
She’s lived at Heathcote Health’s aged care home since October 2023.
‘The nursing staff here are beautiful. They do everything I need,’ Wendy says.
In May 2024, Heathcote Health began the Maggie Beer Foundation’s Trainer Mentor Program. The training helps aged care homes improve residents’ food, nutrition and dining experiences.
Wendy was a keen cook before moving into aged care. ‘I used to watch The Cook and The Chef because there were good ideas I could use,’ Wendy says.
‘When I first came here, I found it quite difficult because I'd always cook for myself,’ Wendy says.
Listening to residents and making changes to suit their preferences is a core part of the training. Under the new Aged Care Act, there will be a new dedicated food and nutrition Aged Care Quality Standard. This will require aged care homes to work with residents to find out what they like to eat and drink, and offer appealing and varied choices
Wendy has seen positive changes since the training began.
‘It used to be difficult to get serving staff to pass on my comments about the food to the cooks. But I think that is a bit better now,’ Wendy says.
Wendy has also welcomed improvements to the choice and quality of food.
‘There has been a big improvement. Now it’s not just pumpkin and potato, they’ll include broccoli and cauliflower with a béchamel sauce with cheese on it,’ Wendy says.
'And I like the jelly fruit with a squirt of cream.
'We’re getting wedges now too, which are better than the overcooked chips we used to get.’
Wendy is an advocate for her friends and the changes they'd also like to see.
‘I have my own teeth but not everybody does. I had a good talk to the trainer, and now they’re slow cooking the meat a bit longer so it is softer. Some of the ladies were having trouble with the meat,’ Wendy says.
‘The texture of vegetables seems more appropriate to older people now too because they’re easier to cut and chew.’
The training program also emphasises the importance of the dining experience as an opportunity for residents to socialise.
Wendy thinks more people are coming into the dining room since the training. Heathcote Health replaced the dining room chairs and tables, to make the environment more inviting.
‘I always eat in the dining room. I like to talk to people,’ Wendy says.
‘Most people will come out, but not always for breakfast,’ Wendy says. ‘But we also get a cooked breakfast on Fridays now. That’s a big thing for me because I used to cook my own breakfast.’
Wendy hopes to continue to see improvements as the training progresses. She’s going to keep giving feedback about what she likes and what she thinks Heathcote Health could continue to improve. Next on her list – she’d like to see fish offered more often.
Get help with food and nutrition in aged care
Check our information for:
- residential aged care providers and workers
- people considering aged care
- aged care residents and families.
