Alberta’s elderly endure disgraceful food quality
Documentary reveals poor quality meals fed to seniors at care centres
Afew months ago, I went undercover. Asked to participate in a short documentary on food service in some of Alberta’s long-term care facilities, I travelled with a film crew to Stettler and Claresholm. I wore a hidden microphone and spy glasses with a camera lens in the frame and carried an attache case that had a hole cut in one end for a concealed camera. And I had the pleasure of meeting some of the residents who live in the centres and dining with them.
My job was to look at the meals as a food critic, as someone who has written about food for more than 30 years. I was asked to eat what the residents eat: food they’ve paid for, supplied by the facilities according to the Alberta Health Services Provincial 21-day Master Menu. And then to offer my unbiased opinion of it.
It seems that a few years ago, food service was centralized for more than 70 care centres across the province with fewer than 125 beds. Instead of having it cooked on-site as it used to be, the food preparation is now done in one spot, then shipped out to the centres, reheated and served. The AHS theory is that this process saves money while providing nutritionally balanced meals.
Looking at the Master Menu, the choices seem quite decent at first glance.
There are hot turkey sandwiches, baked ham, cabbage rolls and oriental beef, plus lots of fruit and vegetables and chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin loaf and pudding.
There are two entree choices for lunch and dinner and a rotation that means you see meat loaf every third Tuesday for lunch. Sounds pretty good.
I agreed to participate because I’m interested in food in all situations. (Once, a few years ago, I reviewed the food at the Mineral Springs Hospital in Banff — I was impressed.) And because I wanted to see just what the residents in our long-term care centres are fed.
I told the video producers that I might even like the food. I’ve been known to chuff back airline meals and TV dinners without complaint (well, perhaps a few), and I’ve eaten some pretty odd and awful things over the years.
But the food served in the long-term care centres truly shocked me. Watery mashed potatoes like the worst of the instant potatoes from the early 1960s, glazed in a plastic-tasting gravy that sat shimmering on the plate. Brussels sprouts that disintegrated on contact. Pork loin — at least I think that’s what it was; it was of such poor quality it was uncuttable, unidentifiable and overcooked beyond edibility. Food that had no aroma, little texture, no eye appeal and no life. Appalling food, much of which went back to the kitchen, untouched by those dining around me.
Obviously something has gone sadly wrong between the development stages of this plan and the execution of it. This cannot be what was conceived.
As an Albertan, I was ashamed and angered that this is what we’re offering our most vulnerable citizens. They deserve much better. I can’t imagine living out my last days eating these meals.
And I felt for the staff. There are many fine staff in these centres who want to do a better job for the residents. As one of them said to us when they saw my host had a guest: “You don’t want to eat here. The food is much better in the hospital cafeteria. You should go there.”
If you’d like to see the 13-minute video, it’s called Tough To Swallow, and you can watch it at yourworkingpeople.com.
At the far other end of the culinary spectrum, there are a couple of very worthwhile fundraisers coming up this week.
On Wednesday evening, the Hotel Arts will be the site for the second annual City Palate Pig & Pinot Festival. Nineteen of Calgary’s top chefs will prepare pork dishes to pair with Pinot wines from eight local wine shops. Tickets are $100 at the Cookbook Co. Cooks (403-265-6066) and proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.
The next evening, a summer social will be held at Casel Marche (2503 17th Ave. S.W.) to raise funds for Start from Scratch, a free, 10-week cooking program aimed at post-secondary students. The evening combines the skills of six topnotch chefs with six local food writers and wine pairings provided by J. Webb Wine Merchants. Tickets are $50 and are available at startfromscratch.ca.
No food from AHS Master Menu will be served at either event.
JOHN GILCHRIST REVIEWS RESTAURANTS FOR CBC RADIO’S
CALGARY EYEOPENER. HIS CHEAP EATS 2 RESTAURANT GUIDE IS AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORM OR AS AN IPHONE AND IPAD APP. HE CAN BE REACHED AT ESCURIAL@TELUS.NET