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  • 3 hours ago
Beloved Australian chef Maggie Beer says better food in aged care doesn't require fancy recipes, arguing fresh produce, scratch cooking and kitchen culture can restore dignity and wellbeing.
Transcript
00:00There are no shortcuts needed. It's not complicated food, it is produce-driven food that is alive.
00:07The most exciting thing is walking in here today, having the energy of every single person in the
00:15whole of the home, but the kitchen, the commitment and the passion and the open mind to how we can
00:22always do better. And the food was truly exactly like I would cook at home. And this is what we
00:30want to show. This is what, as the foundation chefs, working with the teams of those homes that
00:36have the trainer mental program, is to show everything is possible. Cooking everything
00:44from scratch, but doing it in such a way that flow and it all comes together. There are no shortcuts
00:50needed. It's not complicated food, it is produce-driven food that is alive.
00:56Mission Australia runs three residential aged care centres, all for the homeless mentally
01:03ill. So it's people with a history of obviously a homeless background, but obviously mental
01:07health issues, substance use issues as well. So they come to us and we try to work with
01:13them on making sure that they can really live their best lives. We don't think that when you
01:19come into aged care, your life is over and that's it. We see it as a new chapter where you can
01:23actually rejuvenate, regenerate and make more of yourself. So it's a culture of enablement,
01:28not disablement.
01:29The benefits out of better food are the closest link to wellbeing. It is both pleasure and goodness.
01:37So if you have the food with the right amount of protein, you have the muscle mass to be involved,
01:46you have delight, you have joy, you have something to look forward to. The dignity of choice is huge.
01:53That's a dignity and a feeling I still matter. I am listened to. And that is part of this where the
02:01residents, the special theme day is once a month, but the residents forum, the interaction with the
02:08chefs of what is great and what they didn't like. You know, this is about dignity because it allows
02:15them to be heard. I'm so proud of the foundation. I'm so proud of every member here, but particularly
02:25the way Steve leads, the way Ahmed leads, it's just extraordinary. It gives a spark. It's a celebration
02:34and life should be a celebration. There's no reason not to.
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