Lifeview’s food appreciation program named Asia’s Best Hospitality of Care
Victorian aged care provider Lifeview Residential Care was awarded
the Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Award for Best Hospitality of Care
for it’s food appreciation program at an awards night in Singapore last
week.
Madeline Gall accepting the Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Award for Best Hospitality of Care for Lifeview
The program, which involves Lifeview residents in menu planning, enhances the dining experience and quality of living for older adults.
“Food and the overall dining experience are very important to us,” says Lifeview CEO Madeline Gall.
”Meal times and our menus are designed to be an event, something to look forward to.”
Ms Gall says resident menus in aged care are a constant source of
opinion, bound by budgets, dietary restrictions and departmental
‘guidelines’.
“So creating a menu that is exciting, nutritious, on budget and most
of all, embraced by residents is an ongoing challenge,” she adds.
“In response to this challenge Lifeview created a Food Appreciation
Program. The program is all about asking, listening, consulting and
where needed change – it gives independence and choice back to the
resident”, Ms Gall explains.
The Lifeview Food Appreciation Program involves quarterly meetings
where residents sit down with the chefs and discuss the previous menus,
what they did and didn’t like, seasonal variations and plan for the next
round of menus.
Residents are encouraged to create their own menus, supply family
recipes, and are able to give feedback on presentation and the overall
quality of the food service.
“What we have seen is a decrease in the use of supplements, residents
maintaining healthy weights, and with regular change and innovation
appetites peaking. Basically, residents are consuming more food”,
according to Ms. Gall.
“We are honoured to have been recognised by the Asia Pacific
Eldercare Innovation Award judging panel for the work we are doing in
the aged care dining and food service arena,” she says.
“This is a remarkable achievement that all at Lifeview are proud of.”
