When a person we support at National Care Group’s Springvale Resource Centre refused to cook for himself and was unmotivated to try, support worker Julie was determined to help him understand the importance of a nutritional diet.

It became so much more than that, when Julie’s passion to improve the diets of the people we support, who were all set in their ways, impacted a change for many.

Julie was determined to change the person we support’s mindset and his eating habits, taking time to explain the benefits of an improved diet and which foods to avoid or eat less or more of. With much persistence and patience, she was able to introduce meal preparation time to his routine and together they began to make all meals from scratch. She even created ‘fake-away’ meals to distract him from the regular take aways he’d been routinely eating – all too high in fat content.

Inspired by the change in this one person, Julie was able to empower others to learn more about the nutritional benefits of what they eat. In doing so, they found a love of meal preparation and cooking - some who had never tried, some who had lost their passion.

HB preparing home grown food at Springvale

Not one to stop at that, Julie came up with the idea to create an allotment space to further encourage the people we support to grow and eat their own produce. She went to great lengths to source donations, securing a greenhouse, plant pots and tools off people from within the community. A local retired police-officer Julie had been sharing her plans with, and who knew of Springvale, not only donated items he made some planted seats and a bird feeder for them.

Springvale's greenhouse

It didn’t stop there. The team at Springvale went on to apply to the Innovation fund and with the money they were able to purchase additional seating and extend the growing space. The people we support at Springvale have really embraced the allotment space and all take pride in helping to maintain it. They all come together and are actively involved in cleaning, planting, and growing – it continues to be a collaborative project involving Springvale colleagues too.

Ultimately, the people we support are feeling the benefits in so many ways, not least of all the improved diets they now follow.

Julie has done an incredible job in helping the people support understand and embrace the importance of nutrition and hydration and in doing so has improved their lives.

This story is just an example of many of our remarkable colleagues and their passion to change the lives of the people we support through improved diets and ways of living.

Read more about National Care Group's Springvale Resource Centre here