“There’s not a black and white, yes or no answer to this question,” says dietician Simone Austin of the Dieticians Association of Australia.
The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency’s ‘Health and personal care standard’ 2.10 Nutrition and Hydration states that ‘Care recipients must receive adequate nourishment and hydration.’
And ‘Quality of care’ law states that meals in aged care facilities must have enough variety, quality and quantity for each resident, and those with special dietary requirements must be catered for.
So, do party pies fit the bill?
“You can’t look at one meal in isolation, you need to look at the whole diet,” said Austin.
“If it’s party pies or sausage rolls, or something similar, served every night, then no, it’s not OK,” she said.
“But if party pies and sausage rolls are the only type of takeaway food or processed food on the menu, and it’s not served all the time, and it’s much loved, then yes, that is going to be OK,” she said.
Party pies are often a great favourite in aged care facilities, Austin said.
She said residents should be asked what they want to eat, and have input into what’s on the menu.
Michelle Harris-Allsop, Dementia Consultant with Care Partnerships Australia, said allowing aged care residents some “dignity of choice” about the food they eat is important, and this type of “person centred care” can be a great help in getting residents to eat.
“The majority of residents living in a residential aged care home live with a life-limiting illness … that prevents them from being able to eat well,” said Harris-Allsop.
“Because there’s a big spectrum of medical issues at that age, for some people it’s just getting them to eat anything,” said Austin.
“If I have an individual who’s not eating at all, then eating a party pie is going to be better than not eating at all,” said Austin.
“For other people, it is much more about balancing that nourishment.”
Finger food, such as party pies and sausage rolls, can also be good for those who can’t use cutlery, as they are small and easy to eat in your fingers.
“One advantage of the party pie is it is a finger food. Lots of people who can’t use knives, forks, spoons, can sometimes feed themselves with a party pie. Therefore they’ll eat,” said Austin.
Ms Austin said if an aged care facility is serving party pies, it’s possible to add elements to the meal to make it more nourishing.
“If they’re a favourite, then you could be doing things like serving that with some vegetables – corn or salad, for example – so you could be making the meal a bit more balanced by adding vegetables to it,” she said.
Party pies are sometimes more nutritious if they are made on site at the facility, or made with specific requirements, she said. They can have less salt and contain different types of fat.
“Sausage rolls and party pies that are homemade and served at special functions, such as a party, is different to being on the weekly evening menu,” says Harris-Allsop.
Austin said that the quality of the protein that older people eat is important for their health, and so it’s important that the party pies have a high meat content.
Many aged care residents also suffer from constipation or irregular bowel movements, so it’s key that they have a high fibre content in their diet.
“If you’re going to have the party pies, then you’re not going to have much, if any, dietary fibre,” she said, recommending that if pies are served, they be accompanied by vegetables.
As well as balancing a meal of party pies with vegetables, it’s also important to think about how many pies a person is eating – eating one party pie with vegetables is quite different to eating half-a-dozen pies on their own.
“A simple takeaway style meal I wouldn’t want to see on the menu more than once or twice in a week,” said Austin.
“I would want it to be served with something else as well.
“And the other option is that party pies could be a choice and there could be another alternative offered at that same time, which means that people can make a choice of what they’re wanting to eat.”
Ms Austin said you wouldn’t want to rotate takeaway-style meals – such as frankfurts and fish and chips, for example, as well as party pies and sausage rolls – every night of the week.
“There can be one night during a week they are served, and serving it with something else to make it more nutritional,” she said.
Yes, party pies are served often in aged care, Austin said – mainly because residents ask for them. And it is possible to serve them once in a while, as part of a balanced and nutritional diet, she said.
“We can have this nutritionally perfect world, but if they don’t eat the food, if they don’t want it, then it’s not really fair,” she said.
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while it could be said that residents have a choice in what they can eat, I have never seen it,
ok they might refuse to eat whats put in front of them, thats their choice,
then they are offered a sandwich or half.
the general community is advised to lower the amount of processed food that they eat for the sake of their health. what abut our elderly citizens, they get soft tasteless half cold food that is classed as nutritious. agreed some elderly residents have an issue with eating a steak, but so do I.there is very little choice its soft or vitamised, and very few are actually ever asked what they would like. there is a food roster on rotation and thats it.
as a vegetarian I struggle to see good healthy fresh food made available, very rarely did I ever see fruit available to eat when ever they wanted, and vegetarian does not mean salad meal after meal.
there has to be a better way to offer meals to residents. why are we not asking our residents what they would like to eat, I suspect it will come down to money again…. when are we going to respect and care for our elderly they are our history and deserve better.
Party pies and sausages rolls are okay but no-one wants to eat the cheapest takeaway food available cold. My suggestion would be to treat older people with dignity and respect and to offer them choice and support so that their dietary needs are met. Not feeding patients because you don’t have the time and then eating the gourmet left overs while they literally starve to death is unacceptable. People who are suffering from major depression and/or chronic high levels of pain need treatment. Not medicating patients appropriately or even doing a referral to a Psychologist is criminal neglect. Before we talk about party pies and sausages rolls maybe we should talk about basic care which is not being delivered.
When reviewing the meal service in residential care, I often see processed finger food on the plate, particularly at the evening meal. Many residents are happy to eat the party fare as they recognise it, and have purchased and eaten sausage rolls and party pies in the past. If other options over the day are unfamiliar and not eaten, then sometimes it is a matter of relying on and eating the familiar.
Residents are also happy to eat other recognisable, delicious, well cooked, tender, nutritious meals that are not murdered.
We must also look at the WHY of what is on offer and ensure staff are set up to succeed. Building options residents want to eat, serving meals when they are at their nutritional best, systems and processes that allow staff to provide a consistent dining experience will help to move away from defaulting to the backup of instant processed food pulled from the freezer.
The evening meal also is the time when working families have time to pop in, see what is on the plate and snap a picture for social media.
Only if it is a party of some sort and does not replace a tasty and nutritious meal.