Quebec promises tastier, healthier meals for seniors in care

Mary Dunlop says if she didn't prepare and bring in most meals, her mother — who lives at a long-term care home in Montreal's west end — would be stuck eating nothing but the bland, puréed dishes the residence serves, day after day.

"Sometimes it's good," Dunlop said. "Sometimes you wouldn't want to feed it to your pet." 

The Quebec government said it has heard the complaints of caregivers like Dunlop and residents of the province's long-term care homes, known by the network's French acronym, CHSLDs.

Health Minister Christian Dubé announced Friday the government will spend $100 million over five years to improve meal quality, taking into account residents' nutritional needs, tastes and history.

"Our seniors deserve to be treated with dignity and to have quality meals in CHSLDs," he said on Twitter.

At least half of that money will be spent on hiring more people, to develop new recipes and menus, including finger foods and foods with textures adapted to elderly people's needs. The rest will be spent on the purchase of food and new equipment to improve mealtimes.

"I think it's essential, long overdue," said Ruth Pelletier, the founder of an advocacy group for English-speaking seniors, Seniors Action Quebec.

But as much as she likes the idea, Pelleter said she worries the cost of overhauling food services in long-term care residences will dwarf the $100-million budget, forcing CHSLDs to scale back other services to make up for the loss.

The Health Ministry is partnering with the hotel and restaurant training institute, l'Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec, to oversee the whole process.

The institute redesigned menus for seniors' residences when the previous Liberal government launched a similar initiative that was eventually discontinued. This time, the Coalition Avenir Québec government, which roundly criticized the quality of food in CHSLDs when the CAQ was in opposition, is spending a thousand times more money on their initiative.

The institute's director, former Liberal MNA and MP Liza Frulla, said she is confident it's possible to make changes and stay within the allocated budget. It's a matter of reviewing and improving the process, she said.

"It costs the same money doing bad as doing good," she said.

The improved food service is slated to be up and running by the fall.