Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and the Environment and Water Resources at the ILTC Quality Festival 2015, Wednesday, 14 October 2015, 0900 hrs at Furama Riverfront

Dr Wong Kirk Chuan, AIC Deputy CEO,

Dr Seow Yong Tong, Chief, Quality Office,

Chef Edmund Toh,

Chef, Eric Teo,

Distinguished guests,

Introduction

Good morning. I am pleased to be back here at the 4^th Intermediate and Long-Term Care (ILTC) Nutrition Movement 2015 organised by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). I launched this initiative in 2012 and am heartened by the progress made and the commitment of the Community Care sector towards the promotion of good nutrition for our seniors. 

Importance of food and nutrition

2          We take our food seriously in Singapore but we must also value good health and eat healthily. Like all of us, seniors need to watch their diet. Poor dietary intake increases the risk of malnutrition in seniors and can lead to a poorer quality of life. Poor diet may mean that you are unable to manage your chronic conditions, if you do have them.

3             As such we monitor the nutritional status of the seniors receiving community care closely, as part of the Enhanced Nursing Home Standards (ENHS) and the Guidelines for Centre-based Care and Home Care. This is part of our efforts to improve the quality of care within the nursing homes, and community based and home care sector.  SPRING Singapore also worked with AIC to publish a set of Guidelines on Nutrition and Food Service for Older Adults in 2015, to guide our seniors in the area of food and nutrition. 

Development of the ILTC Nutrition Movement

4          The ILTC Nutrition Movement builds on AIC’s continuous efforts to promote the importance of good nutrition and food service, and build the capability of the service providers. Through this movement, we hope to strengthen the culinary preparation and menu planning skills among the cooks in the sector.

5             Since 2012, over 50 Community Care organisations have taken part in the ILTC Nutrition Movement. The movement first started among nursing homes, but now, centre-based and home care service providers have also come on board. Over 400 of their staff have been trained, which includes hands-on boot camps where cooking techniques to improve the taste, texture and presentation of food are taught.

6          I hear that the boot camp sessions have been very well-received by the cooks, with some becoming ‘regulars’. Mdm Hong Kee Eng is a cook with Villa Francis Home for the Aged, and she has attended three boot camps so far. Mdm Hong says her cooking has improved, and the residents she cooks for are now more receptive towards the healthier food. For instance, they used to avoid eating chicken breast meat as the meat was tough to chew on. From her training, she has learnt various cooking techniques, one of which involves quick boiling, poaching and chilling. This process helps to soften the tougher cuts of meats which makes chewing easier for the seniors.

7          Some service providers have gone beyond improving nutrition knowledge and cooking techniques. They have embarked on redesigning their kitchens, tapping on the Healthcare Productivity Fund – ILTC, administered by AIC. This includes the installation of time and space-efficient equipment like combination ovens which can help our Community Care service providers to cater to more elderly clients, and also increase the variety of cuisines they can offer.  

8          The ILTC Nutrition Movement has also expanded its outreach beyond the Community Care sector, involving partners like polytechnics, celebrity chefs, restaurants and organisations such as SATS and Singapore Chefs Association (SCA). So far, close to 30 partners have participated in the movement, a four-fold increase from when it first started in 2012. SCA, in particular, has been a stalwart partner over the years under the leadership of two presidents – Chef Eric Teo then, and now Chef Edmund Toh. Individual member chefs have contributed their time and expertise towards training the Community Care cooks. This year, SCA will further step up its efforts by becoming an official partner of the movement. Under the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed this morning between SCA and AIC, we can look forward to more training for the Community Care sector over the next two years.

ILTC Nutrition Movement 2015 – Launch of cookbook Eat Well, Age Well, Live Well

9          Today, I am pleased to launch AIC’s special-edition cookbook comprising 50 recipes contributed by the community and curated by Chef Eric Teo. Among the contributors include 18 Community Care clients, 12 chefs including celebrity chefs Devagi Sanmugam, Willin Low, Quentin Pereira and Siti Dzaleha, and three restaurants.

10        In honour of our Pioneers, the recipes include well-loved nostalgic dishes such as a Ngoh Hiang recipe contributed by Mdm Lee Geok Eng, a client with AWWA Rehab & Day Care Centre, and other healthier versions of homely dishes like Soto Ayam and Chicken Briyani. With this cookbook and previous recipes collected from past ILTC Nutrition Movements, Community Care cooks can now draw on over 100 recipes that cater to their elderly clients’ nutritional needs and medical conditions.  

Conclusion

12        It leaves me now to thank our partners who have contributed in enhancing the capabilities of our Community Care cooks, and all cookbook contributors for generously sharing your “makan memories” with future generations of Singaporeans. In fact, many, many Singaporeans, young and old, who are foodies will, no doubt, be eternally grateful for these memories! Thank you.