Food plays a powerful role in our lives and, in many ways, is at the centre of how we socialise and connect. As well as these deep social and cultural aspects, food also plays a critical role in improving nutrition, health and well-being; something which is fundamental in the aged care industry.
At Regis, we understand how important nutritious and wholesome food is – that’s why we have qualified chefs, cooks and catering teams in all of our homes who cook on site from scratch to deliver quality meals to each and every one of our residents.
At Regis, we believe food is life.
Aged care residents can often be dealing with health conditions, so it’s essential they receive all the nutrients they need to remain fit and healthy. Prior to the release of each new menu at Regis, our meals are evaluated by a qualified dietitian from a nutritional and balance perspective so that our residents receive the best health outcomes. Furthermore, we have been progressively adapting our menu to ensure residents with special diets receive their dietary requirements. Residents who are gluten free, vegetarian, or lactose intolerant all have meals designed around their diet.
Mealtimes, however, are much more than just nutrients on a plate. We want our residents to connect with each other and create new memories with each other during meal times. Food can act as a catalyst in improving the life of older adults and we’re always looking at innovative solutions to cater for their needs.
As part of our continuous improvement process, we seek feedback regularly through focus groups, cooking demonstrations and monthly feedback sessions in our Resident/Relative meetings. At these meetings, residents can choose a ‘Facility Favourite’ dish or a resident can submit a recipe to be featured that isn’t on our menu which is served up during the forthcoming month. We understand that variety and choice is important and that’s why we analyse and monitor these responses so that we can offer bespoke menus designed around what our residents enjoy.
For variety, we change our menus in each of our homes twice a year – carefully selecting seasonal, well-sourced produce. For our summer menus, we focus on lighter dishes to cater for the hot weather and, of course, regularly have BBQs for our residents. Our winter menu boasts wholesome recipes with heartier meal choices with treats such as apple crumble, always a favourite at that time of year.
These menus are based on resident feedback and all recipes are tested numerous times by our chefs and residents before we introduce the new menu.
Each of our homes has a qualified chef or cook to create fresh, quality meals for our residents. We take pride in our catering team and help staff achieve what they set out to do by giving them opportunity and support. Our catering team are proud to deliver delicious, nutritious food.
Krishna, our Chef Manager at Regis Yeronga, has been with us for over 7 years and has progressed her way up working in multiple roles in the kitchen. Starting at Regis Wynnum in 2012, she moved her way up from Food Service Attendant to Larder, and then from Cook to Chef Manager when she completed her qualifications. When asked about what she likes about her job and team, she said:
“I like the teamwork, appreciation and keeping the staff and residents happy”
At Regis, we believe Food is Life.