Printable program - The culture of care: Maggie Beer on food, choice, and wellbeing

The culture of care: Maggie Beer on food, choice, and wellbeing

Friday, June 13, 2025

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Hall L, Ground Level

Overview

Maggie Beer AO and Assoc Professor Jade Cartwright

Details

⏫ Keynote address
⏲️ 4.00pm - 5.00pm
⌛ 60-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees:

Presenter

Assoc Professor Jade Cartwright

University Of Tasmania.

The culture of care: Maggie Beer on food, choice, and wellbeing

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

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Jade Cartwright is a speech pathologist and researcher in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Tasmania with more than 20 years of experience working in the dementia and aged care field. Jade’s primary research interests span dementia, communication, culture change and holistic models of care. Jade’s research has examined how transformation in mealtime care can provide a pathway towards more humanistic and person-centred ways of caring – promoting choice, independence, social connection and respect. Jade’s research seeks to change attitudes and reduce stigma towards aged care and dementia, showing that systemic change is possible, and that more inclusive, enabling and enriching models of care can be imagined, implemented, and sustained.

Maggie Beer

Maggie Beer Foundation

The culture of care: Maggie Beer on food, choice, and wellbeing

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Presentation summary

Through a world-first social experiment, the Big Mission project is demonstrating how collaboration with multidisciplinary teams embedded within care homes can transform mealtime culture to support residents’ independence and well-being. The Maggie Beer Foundation is at the forefront of this movement, going beyond nutrition to create a dining culture that values enjoyment, dignity, and choice. A key aspect of this transformation is the role of speech pathologists, whose expertise ensures that mealtimes remain a pleasurable and accessible experience for all residents.

As one of Australia’s most influential voices in food and dining, Maggie Beer has been a driving force in redefining aged care mealtimes—emphasizing not just nutrition but also social connection and overall quality of life. Her dedication to improving food culture in aged care has been groundbreaking, and the Big Mission project further highlights the importance of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach, where speech pathologists and other specialists work together to drive meaningful change.

With Maggie Beer sharing her insights and Jade Cartwright guiding the conversation, this session will be an inspiring exploration of the power of food, collaboration, and innovation in transforming aged care.

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Maggie Beer AO, respected Australian food icon, says – “it is our responsibility as a society to ensure health and happiness for every older Australian and that flavourful, nutritious, seasonal foods that bring pleasure and joy are a key to quality of life.” Having established The Maggie Beer Foundation a decade ago, with a mission to set new standards to change the food and dining experience in the aged care sector, Maggie’s mantra is “Make every mouthful count”. From the outset, the Foundation’s strategy has been to advocate, educate, facilitate research, and share the latest knowledge and skills required with the Cooks and Chefs who are able to do so much to change the lives of the residents in their care. and now…Maggie‘s most ambitious project to date, Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, a world first social experiment to transform the meals and dining experience at an aged care home in Perth, Western Australia - an inspirational three-part series; the one she will be the proudest of, in the hope that it could provide a roadmap for a new model of care. “It looks fresh, it tastes fresh, every mouthful counts!” – Maggie Beer

Session chair

Jacqueline McKechnie

University Of Canberra

The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.

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