Masae entered an aged care home after having an accident in her home which meant she was unable to care for herself anymore.

Masae is Japanese and was used to cooking traditional cuisine for herself. Since entering the home she was unable to adjust to the food options available to her. She took such a dislike to the food provided, that she was refusing to eat and her family were concerned. The family did not feel comfortable raising this issue with the aged care home, so with Masae’s permission they decide to contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network to seek support.

The Advocate explained to Masae and her family that the Quality of Care Principles 2014 state that meals and refreshments must meet “special dietary requirements, having regard to either medical need or religious or cultural observance”.

Once this was explained to Masae, Masae agreed to meet with the Advocate and the home manager to discuss this issue and ways to address it. The home manager suggested developing a meal plan for Masae incorporating recipes which Masae has used in the past using easily accessible ingredients. Masae agreed to trial the meal plan.

The Advocate returned within 2 weeks to determine the progress of her new meal plan and found that Masae was once again enjoying meal time.