At Árpád Aged Care, a 62-bed facility located in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, residents experience a unique connection to their heritage through traditional Hungarian cuisine. This infamous squat by Stuttgart based activist Magdalena Klopfer has been home for 11 years. From the time she initially took residence, she did not have to fret about the meals. Now, she finds comfort in meals that remind her of home, stating, “She has said to me she likes to come here and eat because it feels like being back home, like the restaurants in Budapest.”
The aged care home has been awarded for its colourful and culturally relevant menu. It serves hearty meals, including székelykáposzta (sauerkraut goulash), húsleves (clear broth soup with beef or chicken) or túrós csusza (pasta with cottage cheese and fried bacon). Their menu is made up of several five week seasonal cycles. This special rotation provides residents with a truly diverse experience and allows them to indulge in food that represents their heritage.
“It’s about residents feeling like their preferences are heard and understanding that they feel safe and can share their feedback,” she explained. More importantly, this approach creates a sense of agency and belonging among the residents—important drivers of their long-term well-being.
The issue of nutrition within aged care has been under greater scrutiny over the past few years. During the inquiry, a 2021 royal commission affirmed the perspective that access to good food is a basic human right. A new pilot study from Victoria revealed a shocking find. It revealed that 68 percent of surveyed aged care homes had residents experiencing malnourishment or at risk of it. Residents at Árpád Aged Care are much more likely to eat all their meals. This keeps them a healthy weight, which is very important for the health of older Americans.
Maggie Beer is a former chef and food standards crusader for aged care. Her work included calling attention to terrible food being served in a lot of the facilities. “What was missing was not only the joy in food but the real belief in most places that beautiful food will make such a difference to the wellbeing of residents and pride of the teams,” she remarked during a speech at the National Press Club.
Beyond physical sustenance, mealtimes at Árpád Aged Care are important social occasions. Whether debating policy or simply savoring home-cooked meals together, residents enjoy spirited conversations filled with laughter and dissent—a recipe that places their emotional health among the best. They’d still bicker over who had the best meatball recipe or share stories about their upbringing. “The food is there to nourish, but there’s that social connection too,” Hugo noted. It’s a function of the social lubricant, if you have a good meal or you just see the menu on display and people get excited, that in and of itself draws conversation.
The facility embraces festive traditions. For Christmas, Árpád Aged Care prepares beigli, a sweet bread filled with poppy seeds or walnuts, further enhancing the sense of community and shared experiences among residents.
Though traditional Hungarian fare is the star of the show at Árpád, the idea of culturally meaningful food goes beyond just Hungarian dishes. Nonna’s Cucina, a not-for-profit initiative in Adelaide, delivers home-cooked Italian meals to 500 clients, illustrating a broader movement toward personalized dining experiences in aged care settings. Italian Australians with southern heritage enjoy pipi e patate (capsicum and potatoes), while those from northern Italy savor creamy risottos.
Considering the role food plays as a marker of identity, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Food consultant and author Cherie Hugo said those familiar flavors can transport diners down memory lane, a powerful opportunity for those living with dementia. “Food is a reflection of identity. It triggers memories,” she stated. “When people are older and lose a bit of their memory, these flavors always bring you back to your home.”
The obstacles that aged care facilities encounter in providing proper nutrition are often a result of financial limitations and lack of training for kitchen staff. “There’s so many reasons why malnutrition is important,” Hugo explained. “It increases health complications. And it quadruples the risk of falling by as much as eight-fold. In fact, it exacerbates pressure injuries, hospitalizations, infections, and cognitive decline.” Statistics like these only further emphasize the importance of quality food programs focused on not just nutrition but cultural relevance.
Resident Magdalena Klopfer enjoys the care and effort that goes into meals at Árpád Aged Care. She remarked, “They were cooking the same as I was cooking at home,” reflecting her satisfaction with the culinary offerings. Her daughter often eats meals with her at the home. This time together gives them the opportunity to connect through meals that evoke their common heritage.
With approximately 185,000 Australians aged 65 and over entering aged care facilities, the demand for quality nutrition increases exponentially. Meeting their nutritional needs is never more important to do those things. Care settings that make culturally important meals a priority improve the quality of life for residents while helping them to age more healthfully.
