People deserve options and they deserve to get what they want, when they want.
I think it's important they can continue life in residential aged care as close to as they had it at home.
To help them get ready for the new Aged Care Act, this aged care home began Maggie Beer Foundation training in 2024, undertaking online modules and receiving hands-on mentoring and dietitian support to help improve the food, nutrition, and dining experience they offered to their residents.
I enjoy food like therest of us, I suppose.
I find that improvement in the food is 100%, and I think it's absolutely wonderful.
The Maggie Beer Foundation brought forward the idea of taking the residents' favourite recipes and favourite food, and then gave you the necessary tools to fortify, to make it more nutritious, and then you can just make food that's what the residents enjoy.
It's great that you can say what you think and what you feel.
Yeah, they do listen to me, yeah. Brad especially listens to me. I've sent my own recipes to the kitchen. I used to make the best apricot slice. And I have taught 'em how to make it.
They've tried, yeah.
They've done very well, yeah.
But, shh, don't tell him that.
What the Maggie Beer Foundation taught was flavour.
So switching to real garlic instead of crushed tubs, switching to fresh herbs instead of dried.
So, the herb garden I really enjoy because I’ll go out there and just pick mint leaves to make mint sauce or even just garnishes, those things make a big impact.
Our indigenous herb garden was a project we were running at the same time, a place for residents to enjoy, plus the kitchen being able to utilise it.
The program has really empowered the residents to have their say and to shape their choices.
There's a lot of noticeable changes.
The healthcare workers tell us that the behaviours change during the day.
Nutrition's almost as good as medication, if not better.
We are what we eat, you know, that's been a motto that's been around for a long time.
They're more mobile with better nutrition, and we've noticed more residents coming out or doing more activities that previously maybe they wouldn't.
It's just overall a lot more happiness.
The thing that makes me most proud would be the fact that I can reflect my kindness through my food.
These are mothers and fathers of families that we are now looking after, and I think it shows to the residents that I do care about their wellbeings.
It's respect.
When you have a nice meal,
oh, it just makes it feel so much better.
It really lifts your spirits as well.
As the new Aged Care Act comes into effect, now is the time to
reimagine food in aged care, because mealtimes shape how the people who live there feel every day.
Find out more about food and nutrition in aged care.
Find out more about food and nutrition in aged care: health.gov.au/food-nutrition-aged-care