Best and worst food in Victorian aged care homes revealed

Victoria is home to some of Australia’s lowest-ranking aged care homes when it comes to the residents’ food. See the score for your aged care home.

Victoria is home to six of Australia’s lowest-ranking aged care homes when it comes to the food residents are being served.

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 government.

The answers were collected last year, but only published in full last week.

Water Gardens in Sydenham, was the lowest rated aged care home in the state – and the country.

There, a third of those surveyed never liked the food, more than half only liked it sometimes, and 13 per cent only liked it most of the time.

Some bad food served in aged care homes.

While at Mooraleigh Hostel in Bentleigh East, Melbourne, a quarter of residents surveyed never liked the food and 67 per cent said they only liked it sometimes.

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

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.

Some of the worst food being served at aged care homes.

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.”

Water Gardens and Mooraleigh Hostel were asked for comment.

Wintringham Tom Fitzgerald in Shepparton was the state’s top rated home. There 88 per cent always liked the food.

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 Victoria where some homes need to improve the food experience.

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

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 [phone].

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

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”.

BEST AND WORST RATED

Victoria’s highest rated 5

1. Wintringham Tom Fitzgerald, SHEPPARTON 3.88/4
2. Merindah Lodge Aged Care Facility, CAMPERDOWN 3.86/4
3. Arpad Aged Care, WANTIRNA 3.79/4
4. Birchip Nursing Home, BIRCHIP 3.73/4
5. Lumeah Lodge Hostel, DAYLESFORD 3.67/4

Victoria’s lowest rated 5

1. Water Gardens, SYDENHAM 1.78/5
2. Mooraleigh Hostel, BENTLEIGH EAST 1.91/5
3. Casey Aged Care, NARRE WARREN 2.03/5
4. MiCare Margriet Manor, KILSYTH 2.08/5
5. Wintringham Eunice Seddon Home, DANDENONG 2.08/5

Originally published as Best and worst food in Victorian aged care homes revealed