How Maggie Beer’s small changes make a big difference

Maggie Beer’s Big Mission (premiere) ★★★★

Along with many Australians, Maggie Beer was shocked and dismayed by the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Its final report, published in 2021, revealed, among other problems afflicting the sector, that 68 per cent of those living in residential aged care – now about 200,000 people – are either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. That’s in addition to their worrying levels of depression and feelings of isolation, and the problem of nurses and carers who feel overworked and undervalued.

The portrait that emerged of a sector under severe stress presents an alarming picture to those who live with fears for the welfare of family members and friends housed in that system. It’s also alarming for those facing the prospect of requiring such accommodation in the future.

Maggie Beer (left) embarked on a four-month-long experimental program at a Perth aged care centre.Credit: Megan Lewis

Declaring that “the statistics are dire and it’s totally unacceptable in our society”, the 79-year-old force of nature and national treasure resolved to try to do something about it, using her well-established skill set. With an enthusiasm, energy and ebullience that will be familiar to those acquainted with her work as a food producer, restaurateur, author, cook – not chef – and TV personality, Beer embarked on a four-month-long experimental program at a Perth aged care centre. Her specific goal was to improve the diet of the residents, boosting its flavour, presentation and nutritional value. More generally, the aim was to improve their quality of life.

Drawing on a wardrobe of colourful linen dresses enlivened by an array of dangly earrings, 2010’s Senior Australian of the Year assembled a specialist team to work with her on the project, including a dietitian, a nurse, a speech pathologist and an occupational therapist, as well as consultants to help guide changes in the organisation. Gardening Australia’s genial regular, Josh Byrne, is enlisted to revitalise some unloved and unused outdoor spaces and create more inviting areas for people to get some fresh air, enjoy a flourishing garden and, ideally, to interact.

Maggie Beer’s Big Mission: the trial is a delicate exercise in diplomacy.Credit: ABC

The emphasis throughout is on creating more choice and autonomy for residents to improve their physical and mental health. It’s an ambitious undertaking, as Beer aims to develop a template that can be used around the country.

Produced and directed by Laki Baker, the three-part series documenting the project has a classic three-act structure: the problem, the upheaval and the outcome. Adhering to a familiar ob-doc recipe, a deadline is imposed to create a sense of urgency. It’s a visit by the Minister For Aged Care, Anika Wells, who will assess the changes to determine if they’re suitable for broader application.

Beer and her team are quickly confronted by the magnitude and complexity of their mission: “There are so many moving parts when it comes to change,” she sighs. The challenge in part involves economics. The food budget is $11 per resident per day, which Beer hopes to boost to $14, while removing processed and packaged foods. Her strategy is to increase flavour with seasonings, some provided by a newly planted kitchen garden, and to lift the levels of vital protein in the meals.

Additional challenges involve training and communication: the need for better flows of information among the staff and between staff and residents. Then there are the residents’ varying dietary needs: many have dysphagia, an inability to chew or swallow efficiently, and they require texture-modified meals at differing levels, from pureed, to mince moist, to soft bite. Recipes must allow for adaptation to satisfy all those requirements.

As these challenges emerge, it also becomes clear, although this is treated with a light touch, that the trial is a delicate exercise in diplomacy. It’s disruptive and meets resistance, from staff and managers, and also from residents unsettled by the changes and not necessarily thrilled by the new food.

Amid all of this, kudos to the chief executive at the Dr Mary Surveyor Centre, Chris Roberts, for allowing Beer and her team into the facility and for being receptive to their suggestions. And also to executive chef Sasanka “Sas” Peiris, who remains graciously accommodating throughout, even as the experiment clearly puts increased pressure on him and his staff.

You’ll have to tune in to see how successful the Big Mission is. But, in some ways, the trial itself represents progress as it focuses attention on a critical problem and proposes some solutions. While the aged-care sector has significant issues to address and requires substantial reform, this experiment demonstrates that some small changes can also make a big difference.

Maggie Beer’s Big Mission screens on the ABC on Tuesday at 8.30pm, and on iview.

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