Podcast | Maggie Beer (Maggie Beer’s Big Mission) – Australian food icon Maggie Beer leads a groundbreaking initiative inspired by the shocking findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission.
The commission revealed high rates of malnutrition among older adults in aged care facilities. Consequently, Maggie’s latest series, “Maggie Beer’s Big Mission,” embarks on an ambitious social experiment in Perth. Her goal is to transform meals and the dining experience at a local aged care home.
The series focuses on breaking down barriers and encouraging staff and management to think differently. It aims to show better ways to care for residents. Maggie, named Senior Australian of the Year in 2010, established the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2014. The foundation’s mission is to improve aged care residents’ well-being through beautiful, seasonal food.
Known from shows like “The Cook and the Chef,” Maggie brings her expertise to this crucial series. It is relevant to every Australian.
On this podcast, Maggie chats about:
- Keeping the series raw and authentic, even when the footage wasn’t always favorable to the premise.
- The barriers to change she encountered.
- Whether the work turned out to be more than she had anticipated.
- Appropriate activities for older Australians.
- The challenge of delivering individual care in facilities designed for broader care.
- Why simple ideas often go unadopted.
- The impact of legalities and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations on outcomes.
- Her vision for the legacy she hopes to leave in the aged care system in Australia.
Link to ABC iview HERE
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission – Tuesday 9 July at 8:30pm on ABC and ABC iview
Podcast | Maggie Beer (Maggie Beer’s Big Mission)
TV Central ABC content HERE
Thanks to Tracey Taylor at ABC for organising this podcast
Pick your player below. The podcast is also available through Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Amazon, iheart Radio and more
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission
Spurred on by the shocking findings revealed from the recent Aged Care Royal Commission which exposed high rates of malnutrition in older adults living in aged care, respected Australian food icon,
MaggieBeer, leads an ambitious world first social experiment to transform the meals and dining experience at an aged care home in Perth, Western Australia.
Over 4 months Maggie and her team of experts reinvigorate the menu, dining rooms, gardens and the care model to bring more joy, improve nutrition and wellbeing and give purpose to the residents. The aim is to increase the overall quality of life at the home for both the residents and the staff.
Maggie’s approach centres around mealtimes – creating nutritious and delicious food made from fresh ingredients, dining in a beautiful environment with dignity and importantly, being able to have choice and having the autonomy to make those decisions. Choice has been shown to be one of the primary reasons for improved food and nutritional intake in residential aged care service settings.
Maggie and her team face many challenges – breaking down barriers and encouraging staff and management to try new ways, think differently and to understand that there are better ways to care for residents.
Food for older people has many complications – as we age our tastes change and our ability to swallow can be diminished, which requires food to be modified to different textures to prevent choking or aspiration.
It’s an exacting technique that shockingly has no specific training requirements. In the kitchen, Maggie struggles as she discovers the skill level of the staff is low – it’s an industry wide issue and means that asking under-skilled staff to make dishes from scratch using fresh ingredients, also means going back to basics and upskilling the team.
Maggie Beer
Presenter, Food Icon & National Treasure Maggie Beer is not just an Australian food icon, she’s an essential ingredient in any discussion about food and flavour. Of all the highlights of Maggie’s career, it was being named Senior Australian of the Year in 2010 that led her on a new pathway.
After giving a keynote speech at an Annual Conference of Aged Care Homes, Maggie visited many Homes and saw in so many a desperate need for change in the food and dining experience in the aged sector.
In April 2014 Maggie established the Maggie Beer Foundation with a Board of Industry Leaders, Professors, and Health Advisors, all with the belief that beautiful, seasonal food that gives pleasure and goodness is the key to wellbeing of residents in Aged Care.
From the outset, the Foundation’s strategy has been to advocate, educate, facilitate research, and share the latest knowledge and skills required with the Cooks and Chefs who are able to do so much to change the lives of the residents in their care.
Maggie, with her Foundation, has conducted educational Masterclasses for Cooks and Chefs Australia-wide and since the first in 2015 have influenced over 350 Cooks and Chefs, and over 160 CEO’s and Managers.
In 2021, The Maggie Beer Foundation in partnership with Altura Learning concluded filming 11 online education modules for Cooks and Chefs working in aged care, with the first of these being launched in early April 2022.
Maggie feels it is our responsibility as a society to ensure health and happiness for every older Australian and that flavourful, nutritious, seasonal foods that bring pleasure and joy are a key to quality of life.
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission in picture
Maggie Beer’s Big Mission preview
Maggie Beer in pictures
