Maggie Beer loves her food - good, nutritious and pleasing to the eye. Now the celebrity cook and the Maggie Beer Foundation have their sights set on improving food in aged care.
The plan is to form an alliance of experts from across the country, including chefs, cooks, scientists, dietitians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, medical experts, philanthropists, corporations, peak bodies, governments and organisations, to up the ante in the fight for improved food and nutrition.
The decision follows a congress earlier this year that brought together experts to discuss the relationship between good food, nutrition, the dining experience and wellbeing for older people, and the introduction in July of a new basic daily fee supplement for residential aged care providers of $10 per resident per day to deliver "good quality and quantity of goods and services", with a particular emphasis on food and nutrition.
"While adequate food and nutrition is essential to sustain life, health and a reasonable standard of living, food is also a fundamental part of how we enjoy life with our family, our friends and loved ones, how we express our ethnicity, our religious beliefs, our culture and our language," Maggie said.
"Great food served well has the power to bring moments of joy to each day, even in the face of advanced dementia. For too long, food has not been seen as a priority in aged care - it has often been an afterthought, bundled with other operational services, such as laundry, cleaning and gardens."
To be named the Alliance of the Willing, the aim is to provide the manpower and resources to implement real change.
"There are so many people in aged care working so hard but often without the support or being empowered to do things better," Maggie said.
"When given the respect together with the skill, the practical ideas along with the inspiration, it is an incredibly powerful thing that we have seen individuals bring about amazing change.
"We have an opportunity to bring all stakeholders together around the table to find real solutions that our aged care residents deserve."
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