The Dining Experience at Resthaven

Resthaven Marion resident, Mrs Marlene Kempster, was a volunteer at the site before joining the vibrant site community as a resident in 2020.

Marlene was pleased when Resthaven Marion joined the Maggie Beer Foundation’s Trainer Mentor Program to improve food and dining for residents.  The training supports aged care homes to improve nutrition, take residents’ preferences into account and offer more choice.

‘The food has been good. My favourites are the frittatas and the quiches,’ says Marlene. ‘The staff here are always very accommodating. If I don’t fancy something I can always send it back for something else, and they’ll do everything they can to accommodate you. I feel comfortable talking to the staff about what I want.’

Marlene says a recent meal ‘was to die for’ for the variety of tastes, textures and presentation.

‘The cabbage had a sweet taste, and I loved the baked sweet potato,’ Marlene says. ‘The food is very varied, and we get a choice in the main course.’

Marlene has particularly noticed a difference in meal presentation since the training started.

‘You can see a difference in the presentation. There is more thought put into it. There is good colouring and good quantity,’ Marlene says.

Marlene has also noticed improvements at the dining room table, so people can personalise their meal.

‘We have sauces and condiments on the table now, whereas previously they were brought to us when we asked.’

Resthaven Marion Hospitality Coordinator Kelly Parini oversees the food and dining experience at Resthaven Marion. She started working in aged care after caring for her father, who is now a resident at Resthaven Marion.

‘The best thing about working in aged care is being able to improve the environment people live in,’ Kelly says. ‘Interacting with residents is important. It’s one of the things I love most about my job.’

Kelly has been heavily involved in Resthaven Marion’s association with the Maggie Beer Foundation. She says that working with the trainer mentor from the foundation helped them to streamline their processes and make the kitchen workflow more efficient and collaborative. Resthaven will be incorporating learning from the program across their 12 residential sites.

‘The training has also helped us move forward with a more natural approach to protein and nutrition fortification, which will help us meet the new aged care standard,’ Kelly says. ‘We are fortifying with protein using skim milk powder and lentils.’

All residents are encouraged to fill out menu feedback cards and share their thoughts when they see staff.

‘We also ask for feedback about the food in the resident meetings every second month. And we have meal committee meetings with residents when our seasonal menus are renewed,’ Kelly says. ‘Staff and management buy lunches from the kitchen every day, so we eat the food alongside the residents.’

Kelly understands the importance of social interaction and how the dining experience can help that. This is an area she wants to continue to improve.

‘Going into the dining room and enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner can be a big part of every individual’s day,’ Kelly says. ‘It’s an opportunity for individuals to socialise.’

Aged care providers will need to meet a new dedicated food and nutrition Quality Standard from 1 November 2025 under the new Aged Care Act.

Resthaven Marion chef, Nikesh Poudel says he has learnt a lot from participating in the Maggie Beer Foundation’s Trainer Mentor Program.

‘The food here was already pretty good,’ Nikesh says. ‘We always use fresh ingredients. The training has helped me to think more about natural protein fortification. For example, now we add skim milk powder to naturally fortify when we bake cakes.’

Nonetheless, Nikesh and the rest of the kitchen team learned a lot from the training. Older people need higher levels of some critical nutrients, like protein and calcium.

The training has helped Nikesh more accurately calculate the nutrition in meals.

‘The training taught us how to use a nutrition calculator. So, when we’re designing menus we know how much protein is in our soup, for example, or any of the other dishes.’

Resthaven Marion is now using some of the Maggie Beer Foundation recipes, which have been popular with residents.

‘We have added some of the Maggie Beer ideas and recipes in our seasonal menus,’ Nikesh says. ‘For example, the morning and afternoon tea lemon, blueberry and yoghurt loaf, the meatballs in Italian sauce, and the roast beef.’

For those individuals who have difficulty swallowing or chewing certain foods, Nikesh cooks up texture modified foods.

‘We try to use the same meals from the menu as the base,’ Nikesh says. ‘Flavour is still so important, so, if curry is on the menu, we’ll use the same meat to create texture modified meals. We also separate out the greens from the orange colours. We separate out the meat as well so people can see what they’re eating.’

Nikesh is proud of his work and of the food he serves, but he knows there is always more to learn.

‘I’ve been cooking a long time, but I gained some good ideas from the training. You can always get better,’ Nikesh says. ‘I love working with older individuals and cooking for them. I like to put a smile on their faces.’