Chicken nuggets & soggy chips served to old people

montes, Jul 6, 11:36am
in a resthome.Can you believe it - an upmarket Auckland retirement home (resthome part) serves hash browns, you know the frozen ones that are made in a mould, chicken nuggets and other non-nuitritive food to people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.I can't believe it and they say their meals are balanced by a dietician.You don't need to be a Jamie Oliver to know that this stuff has no goodness in it, and is definitely not suitable for older people who have probably never eaten this kind of food before.I wonder if other people have any experience with similar circumstances.It has too be price driven but I am really upset about it and need some help to get it changed.I have a huge number of photos as evidence of the atrocious stuff that is being presented.Maybe they don't want them to live very long!
donna23, Jul 6, 8:47pm
Complain to management about the crap food that is being served to the residents! They are paying for their food and are entitled to edible, nutritious, fresh food, that they are elderly is insignifigant
herself, Jul 6, 9:24pm
Why not go to alarge newspaper and present them with the photo's and a bit of background and see if they will do a piece on this!
montes, Jul 6, 10:40pm
I had thought of going public - the boss guy who I did complain to (I took the plate with nuggets etc on and put it in front of him and asked if he would eat it!Not sure what kind of nutrition specialist they may have who can possibly think this is OK.Will keep you posted.Thanks for the feedback.
fifie, Jul 6, 10:52pm
Good idea, bet they would be interested and would love to hear about it.
lythande1, Jul 6, 10:53pm
Chips are potatoes, potatoes are very nutritious, that's one reason the Irish lived on them.
Chicken, sure, not the poshest way to serve chicken, but to say it has no nutrition at all is rubbish. Jamie Oliver is a tosser promoting himself.
The residents are capable of making comments themselves you know, they don't need Food Police jumping up and down on their behalf.
johne21, Jul 6, 10:53pm
The amount of money we all pay these retirement places to look after our loved ones is huge. Profiteering by skimping on basic nutritional requirements should be a crime. DO COMPLAIN & DEMAND answers.We must be advocates for both our young & elderly people.
daleaway, Jul 6, 11:15pm
This is just profiteering and laziness.

Try contacting local media first, and if they are not interested, keep up the photography and start a blog like that 13 year old schoolgirl in Scotland who got school meals changed in her area by doing this. It drew a LOT of attention - well if I've heard about it in New Zealand and read her blog, that shows the power of the internet.
effcee1, Jul 6, 11:42pm
My Mum who has since passed on lived in rest home and you have two ways you can complain, one is through the official chanels that they will give you the proper form to do that, you post to some source that is entirely independant from the rest home ,and the other way is to frront their monthly management meeting that we were always informed about, I presume all retirement villages work on the same type of system, i was lucky as i only lived around the corner from my Mums one and called everyday so could watch what was going on and in my case we were always happy, even to the extent that if she did not like what was on the menu ,they would make her an egg on toast, or sandwiches or something else. You have to remember they can be a bit demanding especially when they get into their 90s as Mum was. Will finish by saying that NO i dont have any ties to the home that i am talking about.
pgta, Jul 6, 11:48pm
Did you ask the old people if they were happy with their nuggets and hash browns or did you just decide that they were unsuitable for them!
cappucino1, Jul 7, 1:32am
My grandfathers rest home used to serve the residents american hot dogs at least once a week, they claimed that the residents asked for them- strange because it is a demetia unit, and most of the plates used to go untouched!
angel404, Jul 7, 1:37am
I worked at a resthome and every friday night was fish n chip night. The chips were deep fried and the crumbed fish was oven baked. It was served with a coleslaw or a salad as well though. The residents all have a monthly meeting about which meals they liked and which they didnt so its great they get to have some input into what they are eating.
indy95, Jul 7, 2:05am
Yes, montes, I certainly can believe it. This happens far too often in far too many rest homes and other care facilities and in my opinion there is absolutely no excuse for it. I have seen some absolutely disgusting meals served in a so-called hospital unit which I would not have fed to a dog let alone to frail and vulnerable elderly people who had no option but to eat what was served to them or go hungry. I have also seen well-cooked and attractively presented home-style food served to residents in a small rest home with a hospital unit attached where similar budgetary constraints apply as they apply to every other care facility in the country.
There is a great deal of truth in the old saying that "squeaky wheels get oiled" and if your concern about the standard of the food is not
being taken seriously you may need to start "squeaking" very loudly indeed.
rarogal, Jul 7, 3:45am
Chicken nuggets were in the Top 10 list of food you should never eat!
mothergoose_nz, Jul 7, 4:17am
MIL in rest home had malnutrition. they would give her food. doesnt mean she ate it.that happens quite a bit i think.put a plate in front of someone and take it away whether eaten or not.
anyway. will they feed the ones that are alert saveloys andgive the rest red soup
nauru, Jul 7, 4:17am
I agree and the hash browns, unless homemade, are not much better.
brish, Jul 7, 4:31am
I wonder if most of you are seeing it from how you would feel if you were served that type of food.My husband was in the hospital wing at a retirement village and really couldn't eat, no matter what a nutritionist did.One day out of the blue, he asked for fish and chips so I went and got some.When they are sick, or very elderly, their appetites change and it is very, very hard to cater for all.There would be just as many complaining about all the mushy food, even if that was full of nutritious vegetables.
Did they by any chance have a vegetable soup before the chicken nuggets and chips!
You may have a valid complaint, but do make sure you aren't just having a go at some of the very special people who care for elderly.I made a complaint, but not about the food, but I also saw others complaining about the food because it was just something they found unpalatable looking.
glenn-ellyn, Jul 7, 10:19am
If you ever run a Rest Home I hope I never have to live there.I cannot eat potatoes no matter how they are cooked.Do you actually know what is in Chicken nuggets!If you did you wouldn't eat them.And no,a lot of residents are not capable of making comments about the food they eat.I know this as a past caregiver in a residential care unit.
tammy195, Jul 7, 10:21am
If you can get 1.5 kgsof chicken nuggets for $5 from food wholesalers, there I'd beggar all goodness in them.Lythande1 - Jamie Oliver has done so much to try and improve the British diet but is fighting a losing battle.I never used to like him when he was younger but love his cooking now and often make his recipes.
bilou2, Jul 7, 10:10pm
You've got to say something - sounds like the place is skimping on the food and chargiing a packet.There is no excuse nowadays for ANYONE to eat that sort of stuff.Just read the ingredients list in the supermarket and you need a chemistry degree.Food should be simple, fresh and definable on the plate.I would say there is probably some old fashioned or ignorant people in the kitchen.Go for it and expose it - not good enough!If it was my Dad in there I would be very unhappy.
figjamto, Jul 8, 7:55am
I worked in a rest home a few years ago on the North Shore, the food was of a high standard and beutifully cooked by the chef at that time.I think it pays to "shop around" as to the standard of care ect
biggles45, Jul 8, 7:59am
I managed a rest home for several years and our residents would have hated nuggets. They would probably have eaten hash browns though. They unanimously preferred traditional meals - ie meat/fish, spuds and 2 veg! I would actually imagine that chicken nuggets are an expensive way to feed a large number of people anyway.
bilou2, Jul 16, 9:36pm
Just thinking that for all of us baby boomers it is a worry - what will they feed us by the time we get to the retirement home!Maybe we need to think of some alternative way of living - in small groups and have someone cook for us if we are not able to cook for ourselves!Any ideas!
versace10, Jul 16, 11:01pm
chicken nuggets shouldnt be served for dinner for the elderly, yuk. i remember my mum getting cup a soup on a sunday for lunch. dont have a problem with that on the weekend, but it was made with lukewarm tap water and the bits were stillhard :-(