We love hearing from previous Masterclass participants who have made positive changes and so we were delighted to hear from Kylie, who attended our Sydney Masterclass last September. Kylie shared some of the ideas she has implemented for her residents, she has made changes to her menus, making them suitable for those on texture modified diets so that they don’t miss out.
From Kylie:
“I think the biggest tip I can give is give it a go. You never know what you might create unless you try. My cooks and I have had many failed attempts when making things. Some work – some don’t, but don’t get discouraged by it. Our residents with swallowing difficulties are counting on us to present them something that everyone would want to eat and to not feel saddened and upset by being forgotten about in regard to care and effort.
Desserts can be simple and line up with your current menu, you just have to get creative! I use the off cuts of my normal cakes and purée with a bit of cream or flavoured juice, depending on the dessert then freeze to set. You can cut simply with a knife or use cutters or even set in a mould, if your home has them. Setting multi layered desserts and even savoury cottage pies and fish dishes trays works just the same.
Other options for modified diets – simply make a batch of mousse, pipe and set on trays then freeze, come warmer days it is suitable for purées and minced and tastes much nicer (it just needs to sit out for a few minutes to take the initial freeze off the dessert)
Potato can be piped in many different forms. If they are piped onto trays and frozen, they can be stored in the container for up to three months and heated on the plate straight from the freezer and will keep its shape. All our roast meats are set in a bread tin and then sliced thin to look like an ordinary slice of roast meat. Blended fish, sausages, rissoles can all be formed into patties with minimal effort – just a little setting agent is required.
Some of the simplest things we make like chocolate cake with cream are often the most successful and excite our residents because they can see we have made an effort just for them.
The very last photo is a complete table of food for our memory care unit Christmas party just gone. Half the table is purée appropriate and we had such a success with families that came in when they could not tell the difference between the modified and the normal food for our residents. For our home, this is what it is about, leaving no one out just because they have a swallowing problem.”