During the Education Program in June last year, the dedicated Nutrition & Dietetics team at Flinders University spent many, many hours conversing with the 30 chefs and cooks who took part in the Program; discussing their roles, challenges, successes and their views on the experience with Maggie.

The result? A very thorough research report, which you now have access to!

Flinders University 'Creating An Appetite For Life' Evaluation Report You may need to right-click the link and 'Save target as...' to download this file.

Applications now open for the 'Creating An Appetite For Life' Education Program - March 2016

Riding on the excitement everyone is still feeling from Maggie’s first hands-on education program, Maggie Beer Foundation is doing it all again!

And no longer just for those from Victoria, the ‘Creating An Appetite For Life’ Education Program is now open to all passionate aged care cooks and chefs Australia wide.

While we have plenty more to say about this wonderful opportunity, we thought you might first like to hear about the experience on offer from one of the initial program’s participants, Toni Chubb,

"What a fantastic couple of days. I don't know about anyone else, but my mind is running a million miles and hour, trying to get my head around all the wonderful ideas that each and every one of us brought to the table. A huge thank you to Maggie and her dedicated and passionate team for giving us the opportunity to experience this journey, and for reigniting the passion in us to know that we can make a difference."

Very much a hands-on experience, the 'Creating An Appetite For Life’ Education Program is a two day opportunity to be inspired and challenged by how to create nutritious, full flavoured, low cost meals everyday in your kitchen, in your role as a cook or chef within an aged care home.

Along with Peter Morgan Jones, Executive Chef and Food Ambassador from HammondCare, and a range of industry experts joining Maggie, both days will take place at the Sydney Seafood School with fresh thinking and group brainstorming built around nutritious ingredients, food budgeting, supplier relationships, aged care specific recipes, menus and dining room management.

Only 30 participants will have the chance to attend, making this a completely unique opportunity not to be missed for anyone committed to making a difference in aged care kitchen and homes.

Date

Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd March, 2016, with a welcome evening on Sunday 20th March.

Location

Sydney Seafood School, Sydney, NSW.

Cost

$1,950

Price includes 2 nights’ accommodation, meals, Sydney ground transfers and two day program. Price is exclusive of flights. Maggie Beer Foundation will also be offering a limited number of fully funded scholarship positions to the program. Information on scholarships are available within the application form.

Apply

Applications are now open until 5PM EST Friday 5th February, 2016.

Become a MBF champion in your aged care home and help us to create an appetite for life!

APPLY NOW!

Supported by the John Saville Eastwood Estate, Maggie Beer Foundation has nominated the following homes in Victoria, as our pilot, as recipients of the Wellbeing Garden Grants. We were overwhelmed with the number of applications; making our job of choosing just a few homes very difficult....

Drum roll please... and the grants go to...

$10,000

• Caladenia Nursing Home

$5,000

• Amberlea Aged Care
• Mercy Place Place Rice Village
• AdventCare
• Numurkah District Health Service

$2,500

• Lutheran Aged Care
• Brotherhood of St Laurence
• Rochester and Elmore District Health Service
• Lifeview Residential Aged Care,
• Uniting AgeWell
• HammondCare

Thank you to all the wonderful applicants and congratulations to all the recipients, we can't wait to see your gardens grow!

Maggie Beer Foundation is excited to announce a new initiative to support the development of a number of spectacular gardens in aged care homes across Victoria - our Wellbeing Gardens Program!

From the nutritional benefit of an edible garden at the back door, to being involved in a flowering garden, everyone feels happier in a beautiful, outdoor environment. Having a space to be proud of, to 'potter in' and give a sense of purpose improves people's health and, for many, gardening enables them to undertake an activity they have always loved. Wellbeing Gardens provide a space where elderly people, their families and friends can walk in the sunshine, breathe fresh air and socialise.

Research shows that gardening is beneficial for older people because it:

• Increases levels of physical activity and helps mobility and flexibility, whilst encouraging the use of all motor skills
• Improves endurance and strength
• Helps prevent diseases like osteoporosis
• Reduces stress levels and promotes relaxation
• Provides stimulation and interest in nature and the outdoors
• Improves wellbeing as a result of social interaction Provides nutritious, fresh, home-grown produce.

If your aged care home is located in Victoria and has an exisiting space that is looking a little tired, one that is crying out for expansion or you want to start from scratch, we would love to hear from you.

Supported by the John Saville Eastwood Estate, Maggie Beer Foundation will award a total of 10 grants to aged care homes across Victoria.

These grants will be distributed in the following way:

Plant

One aged care home will be awarded $10,000 to assist with the creation of a wonderful Wellbeing Garden. We encourage applicants to come up with a spectacular edible or aesthetic garden for their residents. With a grant of this size, the possibilities are endless!

Sprout

Many aged care homes already have small garden spaces which are desperate for expansion. Four successful applicants will receive $5,000 each to upgrade the space that might just need an extra little bit of work!

Grow

Ongoing maintenance of gardens is expensive, so five recipients will be awarded $2,500 each to put in new seedlings, fix up infrastructure or buy ever needed tools and equipment. A little assistance can go a long way!

Applications open 10am EST 1st September 2015

Applications close 5pm EST 13th October 2015

Successful applicants notified by 5pm 4th November 2015.

APPLY NOW!

Please note: Application will take between 15-20 minutes to complete. Click here to view the questions in the application prior to submitting via the link above

Download PDF with information on Wellbeing Gardens Program - You may need to right-click the link and 'Save target as...' to download this file.

Our aim is to spread as much knowledge and insight from the three day program as possible - so please make sure to keep checking the website, newsletter and Facebook page as we continue to share recipes, suggestions and interesting findings...lets keep this conversation going!

You can learn more about the success and feedback from the program here.

This past week saw the launch of the inaugural Maggie Beer Foundation Education Program, which was hosted by Maggie and held in the Barossa Valley. Thirty passionate chefs and cooks from Victorian aged care homes were invited to join Maggie for three days in an aged care cooking workshop; comprised of an array of guests speakers including Dr. Stephen Judd the CEO of Hammond Homes in NSW, Peter Morgan Jones the author of ‘Don’t Give me Eggs That Bounce’ who has revolutionised food in dementia care of Hammond Homes giving cooking demonstrations, Ellis Wilkinson who talked of the journey to pull a Tafe course for the complexities of aged care cooking and a reappearance of the ‘Cook and the Chef’ with Simon Bryant and not to mention… an aged care Mystery Box Challenge! Ideas and challenges in aged care were discussed as well as nutritious ingredients, food budgeting, supplier relationships, aged care specific recipes, menus and dining room management.

Each participant left feeling inspired and ready to tackle the challenges they face head on, with a reinvigorated passion for cooking in aged care. As Maggie says, “My aim was to inspire and challenge 30 chefs and cooks from Victorian aged care homes to create nutritious, memorable, low cost meals, every day in their kitchens. Not only have they listened to all that I have learnt and wanted to share but I have learnt from each and every one of them and we have certainly created a movement for change. This is only the beginning!”

Watch this space for more information, recipes, suggestions and findings over the three days.