Bon appétit
Quality food starts with a passionate kitchen team .
By Elise Hartevelt
An aged care provider is spearheading how to better present and deliver food to aged care residents .
For-purpose aged care home VMCH followed Maggie Beer modules to train their staff on improving food quality and service during mealtimes .
This year ’ s federal budget allocated $ 5 million to the Maggie Beer Foundation to educate workers how to meet ‘ new nutritional standards ’ for food service in residential aged care .
The VMCH also hired new staff , including general manager of hospitality Sally Bliesner , who joined the team in May .
She says delivering good food starts with a motivated team in the kitchen .
“ You ’ ve got to have passionate chefs and leaders ,” Sally says .
“ It ’ s got to lead from the top because you ’ ve got to have those initiatives in place .”
One of Sally ’ s roles is to upgrade the quality and delivery of meals to enhance the residents ’ overall dining experience . Aside from new menus , the crew also added different textures , colours , aromas and fresh herbs from the garden to the dishes .
Now , meals such as poached salmon with artichoke confit and strawberry basil shortcakes are among the weekly options residents can choose from .
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“ Choice makes people happy in aged care – it definitely does . It just adds to their happiness level ,” Sally says .
“ The way you present food , how you serve someone at the table and assist residents ; it all matters .
“ They ’ re all little one percenters that add up to making a big difference to how our residents enjoy their meals .”
She says the Maggie Beer modules have helped tremendously because they focussed on boosting staff ’ s knowledge of food and improving quality in an approachable way .
Through online courses , Maggie Beer teaches how chefs can add cooking techniques to their dishes for dramatic effects , how to plate food and rethink textures and aromas for maximum flavour .
“ It ’ s really reinvigorated our chef managers ,” Sally says .
“ It ’ s given them a fresh insight into how they can present food .
“ Maggie ’ s got a very strong onus on taste , aromas , atmosphere , and all of the other parts that really go into our residents enjoying their dining experience .”
For the hospitality staff , the modules honed in on the importance of individualised service and the relationship between older people ’ s nutrition and their specific bodily needs .
“ We ’ ve done training on how to assist and clear tables ,” Sally says .
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Choice makes people happy in aged care .
“ And just the absolute basics of how their menu is presented and how to create atmosphere .”
They ’ ve stopped using food trolleys in dining spaces and replaced metal spatulas with rubber ones , so there ’ s no noise from plates and scraping .
Sally says she ’ s seen ‘ big wins ’ for residents . For example , underweight residents have gained a few much-needed extra pounds because they ’ re now eating their meals .
The staff also thought about how food is delivered to people with dementia , as they often face specific challenges , such as forgetting what food they like or what they ’ d ordered .
“ If you are assisting somebody with a meal , it ’ s important how you talk to them about their meal ,” Sally says .
“ It can be as simple as someone sitting next to them and saying ,
‘ Oh , now we ’ re going to have some peas . Peas are something you enjoy .’
“ It ’ s just talking to them on their level and not being distracted .”
As the sector has been facing significant workforce shortages , financial losses and added pressure during the pandemic , it might be more challenging for some providers to change their food delivery to residents .
We can ’ t change budgets – we know some providers are working within tough restrictions , and finances are tight in aged care , Sally says .
“ But there are things that we can do just as people to change that experience , and a lot of it is just how we communicate and make our residents feel .
“ Creating an atmosphere in a dining room , such as removing external noises and making the dining experience unique for our residents , is massively important .
“ Also , taste and aromas ; being aware of aromas and how that changes our appetite .”
Sally says that in today ’ s society , it ’ s easy to get caught up in the busyness of getting a task done rather than spending time individually with residents .
“ Having the right team and people excited about food and aged care makes a difference .”
“ I feel very blessed to be in this role . I get to be on the front side and see the residents ’ reactions .
“ It ’ s exceptionally rewarding .” ■