Maggie Beer’s Big Mission: July 9

ABC factual series Maggie Beer’s Big Mission premieres this week with Maggie Beer in ambitious world first social experiment to transform the meals and dining experience at an aged care home in WA.

Maggie arrives at the Dr Mary Surveyor Centre – the aged care residence taking part in her ambitious social experiment. Changes to the food and dining experience, the way residents are cared for and the physical surroundings are central to Maggie Beer’s Big Mission. Maggie joins the residents in the dining room, sampling what’s on offer and discussing their likes and dislikes. Whilst the residents are lovely the food is disappointing.

“A sandwich can be dead in the mouth, and that’s how it feels.” – Maggie Beer

And the residents seem to be so accepting of the low standards.

You’re in an institution now darling” – Merle, 89, Resident

But Maggie is determined to create a home environment. Her consultants, Elizabeth Oliver and Julie Smith along with Dietitian Emma Falconer and Speech Pathologist Natalie O’Brien collect baseline data on the health and wellbeing of residents for analysis by the University of Tasmania (UTAS).

“Coming from another country I miss more variety in the food. All the spices, instead of just boring stuff all the time.” – Loretta, 85, Resident

Underwhelmed by the meals she tasted, Maggie shares her experiences with CEO Chris Roberts and Executive Chef Sas. She wants the kitchen to move to a fresh food first cooking approach – removing processed and packaged ingredients wherever possible. Garden Designer Josh Byrne and Maggie discuss ways to make communal outdoor spaces more inviting and they find a location for a kitchen herb garden.

Maggie meets with care change consultants Elizabeth and Julie to discuss their plans for a new buffet dining experience, and she invites the Federal Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells to visit in four months to see what’s been achieved. Associate Professor Jade Cartwright from UTAS reveals to Maggie the concerning residents and staff baseline results. 78% of the residents assessed are found to be either at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. It’s an alarming statistic and one that is 10% higher than the national average. The success of the experiment will be revealed through nutritional and well-being outcomes measured in 4 month’s time.

There’s much work to do be done.

8:30pm Tuesday July 9 on ABC (all episodes on iview).