Aged Care Insite Issue 92 | December 2015 - January 2016 | Page 22

practical living

Refined
tastes

High tea at BaptistCare Maranoa.

Honoured caterers bring a touch of something
special to the everyday for residents at mealtime.
By Dallas Bastian

H

igh teas and carveries are on the
menu from the joint winners of
a catering innovation award, but
both recipients agree that sometimes the
simple things make the biggest impact.
BaptistCare Maranoa, and BlueCross
Chelsea Manor and Riverlea were the
winners for Catering Innovation of the Year
at the OSCAR Aged Care Hospitality Awards.
When looking for ways to make
residents’ lives a little more special,

BaptistCare Maranoa staff came up with
the idea of holding a series of high teas.
They designed invitations for residents and
encouraged them to dress up.
Lynne McKee, BaptistCare Maranoa
Centre hotel services manager, says small
details such as old crockery and cutlery
and inviting residents to dress up led to the
program’s success.
“It’s an opportunity for them to have a bit
of a fun afternoon, as well as [for] the staff

that put it on,” McKee says. “It was fun for
us, also.”
For BlueCross, one factor that grabbed
the judges’ attention was the two chef
managers across the Chelsea Manor
and Riverlea sites bringing in a carvery.
Liz Goldsmith, hospitality manager with
BlueCross says: “It came about because
our residents couldn’t go to a carvery at
the RSL anymore.”
Goldsmith added it’s important to
acknowledge how critical the service is
within the facility. Historically, catering
services have been deemed as less important
at residential aged care, but mealtime is
often a high priority for residents, Goldsmith

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