Aged Care Insite Issue 92 | December 2015 - January 2016 | Page 23

practical living

explains. “It is about taking a step back
and seeing what gives residents the most
enjoyment, then getting their feedback and
starting from that point, and building on the
catering service,” she says.
McKee and Goldsmith, along with
BaptistCare Maranoa residential manager
Greg Price, discussed some of the key
elements of a successful catering service in
aged care.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
While some kitchens might focus on
fancy dishes, much of the time residents
just want good, wholesome food, McKee
explains. “That’s what we’ve always tried to
do here at BaptistCare,” she says.
Price spoke of one the small things McKee
does to improve the kitchen’s offerings. She
bakes fresh bread to fill rooms with the scent
of home-cooking before the evening meal.
“That’s proved to be very popular with the
residents,” Price says.
Goldsmith agrees simple pleasures are
winners, saying: “We find sometimes it’s the
simple things that bring most enjoyment.”
BlueCross has introduced a hospitality
newsletter this year that relates what
catering staff are doing across the different
sites. “It’s about acknowledgement of
catering staff, and also putting it through
that … even the smallest little idea can
make a huge difference,” Goldsmith says.
“It might seem like nothing, but can be
quite a lot for a resident.”

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
To make a difference in a catering service,
you must innovate. That’s Price’s key piece of
advice for improving catering. “I think Lynne’s
being recognised for being innovative; that’s
what the awards show,” he says.
Maranoa is considering having someone
on board in a role similar to a maître d’, he

adds. “Someone could dress a bit differently
and spend time at mealtimes to make sure
the residents are OK,” Price explains. “A
restaurant-type atmosphere, to make people
enjoy that dining experience a bit more.”
Goldsmith agreed that thinking outside
the square should be front and centre
when designing a catering service.
Visual menus were another new
introduction at BlueCross this year. “For
residents that have difficulty in choosing
what they’d like to eat, we have pictures of
all the menus, so lifestyle and care staff can
sit with residents and residents can choose
what they would like to eat by the picture
rather than the wording.”

FOCUS ON RESIDENTS
It’s always important to bring it back to the
residents, Goldsmith says: “It’s not really
about us, it’s more about the residents
and that they are enjoying their meals and
enjoying their time living at BlueCross.”

in aged care, one of the biggest changes she
has seen is in the diets of residents.
She says while there were many different
diets when she first started, it has only
become more diverse. She adds this will
continue in the years to come.
“It’s also about trying to get foods that
our residents have loved in their time,”
McKee says, adding that younger people
coming to live in the facility are used to
foods from a wider variety of cultures.
Goldsmith has spoken publicly about the
importance of having a diverse menu in
residential aged care.
She says it’s critical to get feedback
from the residents, their families and staff
at the facility about foods they would
like to have, as is trying new menu ideas
and listening to what industry peers are
trialling. “We tend to trial new products or
new menu items at one facility, and if it’s
successful and the residents’ feedback has
been positive, we will then roll them out in
our other homes.”

DIVERSE DIETS
McKee says she tries to look at her work
with the residents as a continuation of her
own family. “I have always instilled in all
of my own staff that this is like your own
home,