NUTRITION in aged care continues to be an issue, with |Nutrition Australia quoting studies that estimate a greater percentage of malnourishment among those in aged care than at home.
Nearly 75 per cent are believed to be at risk of malnutrition and 20 to 65 per cent malnourished in aged care, while those living at home are up to 10 per cent likely to be malnourished and a further 35 per cent at risk.
Australia’s ageing population will result in the proportion of people over 65 years to increase from the 14 per cent it was in 2011 to about 20 per cent in 2031.
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READ NOWNutrition Australia recommends aged care providers consult with dieticians to ensure meals are meeting all the needs or residents.
SwanCare Bentley Park head chef Sathish Kumar attended a three-day program with cook Maggie Beer, |returning armed with inspiration.
Chefs and cooks from residential aged care homes across Australia took part in the program called Creating an Appetite for Life.
“It has given me the confidence to really go for it in terms of adding new flavours and cuisines to the SwanCare menu and to do so fairly easily, despite the usual time and budget pressures,” Mr Kumar said.
“It was also great to see that we are already on the right track, with dishes like Spanish chicken paella, slow-cooked beef and Guinness pie, and pina colada panna cotta already on the SwanCare menu.”
Mr Kumar won the MasterChef-style cooking challenge where a group of participants vied for the best three-course meals using limited |ingredients.
He took charge of the winning teams’ dessert, roasting polenta with cinnamon and |orange zest served with toasted almond and caramelised |orange.
Irene Mecalfe, 91 years old and residing at SwanCare’s Waminda facility with her husband, said that for some people food was the main focus of their day.
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