Best and worst food in Tasmanian aged care homes revealed

Two of the lowest rated aged care homes in the state are making major food changes after complaints. See the score for your aged care home.

Julie Cross and Annabel Fleming

3 min read

March 18, 2024 - 11:07AM

News Corp Australia Network

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Two of the lowest rated aged care homes in the state are run by the same provider, with nearly a quarter of residents at one home saying they never liked the food.

Rivulet in South Hobart, run by Southern Cross Care, was the lowest rated home in the state, with six in 10 residents surveyed saying they either never liked the food (17 per cent) or sometimes liked the food (44 per cent).

At Mount Esk Aged Care in St Leonards, another of the provider’s facilities, almost a quarter (23 per cent) said they never liked the food. It was the second lowest rated facility in Tasmania.

Rivulet in South Hobart, run by Southern Cross Care, was the lowest rated home in the state.

Up to 20 per cent, or more than 37,000 aged care residents across Australia, were asked the question, ‘Do you like the food here?’ as part of an annual national survey, undertaken by an independent team on behalf of the federal government.

The 2023 results were released in full last week, and revealed which homes got the highest and lowest marks.

The residents’ experience survey results are important because they carry a 33 per cent weighting towards the overall Star Ratings score for each home.

A Southern Cross Care spokesman said the survey was based on a sample of residents.

He said the provider continues to work to improve standards and strives to prepare meals that meet residents’ needs and expectations.

Supplied images of meals being served at an Adelaide Aged Care centre.

“The survey on which the current ratings are based was conducted some 12 months ago,” the spokesman said.

“Since then, at Rivulet, we have made changes to the menu, upgraded one of the kitchens at the facility, changed the way meals are delivered to residents and introduced a new menu.

“At Mount Esk, we are currently in the process of recruiting a chef and now run regular food focus groups to help us in designing seasonal menus, which are a valuable source of feedback which we take onboard.

“We confident these figures will improve when the next survey is conducted.”

Dietitian Dr Cherie Hugo from the Lantern Alliance goes into aged care homes to help improve the food experience.

West Coast District Hospital – Lyell House in Queenstown, got the highest mark in the state. At that home three quarters of residents always liked the food.

Dietitian Dr Cherie Hugo from the Lantern Alliance goes into aged care homes to help improve the food experience.

She said sometimes it’s not about how much you spend, or how fancy it looks, but it’s about serving food people want or are familiar with and making the dining experience enjoyable. Having the TV on loud, or people being given their medication during their meal, can really ruin the moment.

Supplied images of meals being served at an Adelaide Aged Care centre.

In one facility she worked with, changes saw half of residents with long term malnutrition, reversed.

“Food is the foundation of most of the woes in aged care,” Dr Hugo said.

“We want more food in the bellies and less in the bin.”

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission received around 750 food complaints via a hotline, its website or email, between late July and March 1, and in most cases providers addressed the identified problem without further action needed.

It’s not just in Tasmania where some homes need to improve the food experience.

Some of the worst food served at an Adelaide Aged Care centre.

A 68-year-old, in an aged care facility in Adelaide, said he spends $100 a week on Uber Eats because most of the food he is served is either processed or tinned.

“Vegetables have been usually boiled to the max and are tasteless and bland,” he said. “Any form of fruit salad is from a tin, never any kind of quality fresh fruit.”

He said the menu reads well, but it rarely matched the food delivered.

The Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline 1800 844 044.

AND ONE OF THE BEST

Food is the hottest topic of conversation at this aged care home with “what’s on the menu” the most popular item on the agenda at the monthly residents’ consultation meeting.

“We know if we can get the food right, then we are going to get everything else right,” Katerina Kouris, manager of The Greek Community Home For The Aged said.

“We don’t have weight loss here, unless someone is unwell. People actually come in and gain weight.”

Stuffed capsicum and tomato.

The yummy food at the Greek Community Home For The Aged in Earlwood. Chef Panayiotis Giannakopoulos with resident Adele Koutsoukos (right). Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Residents enjoy their lunch at the Greek Community Home For The Aged in Earlwood. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

She said the home caters for their residents’ tastes - and they want Greek food.

Chef Panayaiotis Giannakopoulos serves up dishes such as fish and horta vrasta and pork with lettuce and white egg lemon sauce - favourites with the centre’s 48 Greek residents.

Ms Kouris said the dining room is light and airy with a pretty outlook and a beautiful picture of Greece on the wall.

“It’s all very Greek and the aroma of the food in the dining room is always delicious,” she said.

The Sydney home was the 21st highest rated facility in the country. Seven out of 10 residents said they “always” liked the food, while the rest liked it “most of the time”.