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Lyndoch Living’s catering team have had their brains picked at a recent Maggie Beer Foundation forum discussing innovation in aged care food.
Lyndoch’s Hotel Services Manager, Simon Corbett, was chosen as one of four panel members to educate the aged care industry on innovative ways to make food more attractive to aged care residents.
“Maggie was really interested in the work we’re doing with the CSIRO to develop a texture modified sausage that looks, feels and tastes like a real sausage,” Mr Corbett said.
“We all know that malnutrition is a common problem in aged care facilities, and a sausage is the perfect food to add protein to, or vitamins if that’s what’s needed, whatever is required to boost the health of the residents.”
Mr Corbett said the sausage has already been a huge hit with the residents at Lyndoch Living, and has played a large role in many of Lyndoch’s residents maintaining or even putting on weight.
As a passionate advocate for maintaining the dignity of aged care residents, Mr Corbett explained that the modified sausage is just one of the many ways in which his team is working to restore dignity to those in their care, as well as improve nutrition and wellness.
“It’s not just the quality of the food that improves residents’ quality of life, but the overall experience of sharing a meal,” he said.
“Rather than serving our meals on trays like a hospital does, Lyndoch Living residents eat from custom made crockery which has been designed to reduce spills and encourages elders to eat independently.
“We also serve up meals on demand, rather than delivering a whole batch at once, to ensure everyone receives their meal while it’s fresh and hot.
“Studies show that something like 75% of an aged care resident’s day is focused on food and the sharing of meals, that’s pretty significant, so we need to get the recipe and the setting right to really ensure our residents have the best experience we can offer,” Mr Corbett said.
The Maggie Beer Foundation is focused on “creating an appetite for life” by improving the quality and service of food presented to aged care residents.
