Residents and aged care workers are reporting abysmal food standards inside of residential aged care homes as advocates urge the government to scrap delays for introducing a right-based Aged Care Act.
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As legendary chef Maggie Beer prepares to launch a new three-part documentary series focusing on improving dining experiences in aged care, staff and older people describe being served chicken nuggets and re-heated meals that are shipped in by trucks and served to elderly residents.
Rosemary Seam said the quality of food she eats has "deteriorated" since she first moved into a NSW-based aged care facility over four years ago.
"It's still adequate to keep my body and soul together, but it's nothing to look forward to," Ms Seam said.
One aged care worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal from their employer, said it was "hard to believe" providers were spending a dedicated portion of their taxpayer-funded subsidies on meals.
"You could imagine yourself and you're sitting at your table waiting for your main meal, and then what gets put in front of you is a mixture of sloppy mash potato, some casserole which doesn't look like it's got any substance to it - it's awful," they said.
"There really doesn't seem to be that much improvement in regards to quality.
"I believe for a lot of providers [the subsidy] was just a money grab and it's become a part of the profit margin rather than going where it was meant to."
Aged care providers spend on average $14 on food for each resident per day, according to the most recent quarterly financial snapshot of the sector.
The federal government has increased spending on aged care to around $27 billion per year since the royal commission, which heard evidence that around two-thirds of elderly residents were malnourished.
The basic daily food supplement was a major part of the government's response to the 2018 inquiry and provided eligible aged care providers with an additional $10 per day per resident specifically to provide better quality meals.
The supplement was rolled into general sector funding, known as AN-ACC, in 2021 which raised fears it would provide less transparency around how providers spend public money.
In March, the federal government launched a 'dollars to care' tool to allow people to compare individual homes on key metrics, including overall spending on food.
Recent data provided by five aged care homes based around Canberra's city centre show facilities collectively spent about 20 per cent below average on meals for residents.
According to dietitian and researcher Karly Bartrim, transparency around food standards has significantly improved in recent years but there was "still a long way to go" on meal quality.
"We definitely know homes are spending more on food, but we know food is increasing in cost and we know cost does not equal nutrition and quality," Ms Bartim said.
CEO of the Older Person's Advocacy Network Craig Gear said sub-optimal food options remained one of the top five issues raised by aged care residents and their families.
He called on the government to "immediately" move to introduce legislation for a proposed new Aged Care Act after it was delayed until July 2025.
"Three years on since the royal commission, we should be doing much better in giving people choice and control over their food," Mr Gear said.
Eleanor Campbell
Eleanor Campbell is a political reporter based in the Federal Press Gallery. You can reach her at eleanor.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Eleanor Campbell is a political reporter based in the Federal Press Gallery. You can reach her at eleanor.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
