Supporting independence and healthy lifestyles

In Afford Supported Accommodation across Australia, residents are encouraged to learn about healthy eating, with the grocery shopping experience an important part of that process. Regular resident meetings and one on one conversations with staff give residents the chance to talk about their food preferences and decide on a meal plan for the week.

Our staff assist residents in choosing delicious recipes to align with mealtime management and specific diet plans. This support ensures residents receive healthy, nutritious food which they love to prepare and eat.

Warwick is a resident in our Waterford home in Queensland. Warwick has been working with a physiotherapist to improve his mobility and regain his independence. At his home he does exercises to improve his movement for walking, sitting down and standing up. With support from staff, he regularly does his exercises and he is slowly seeing the improvements.

On a recent trip to the local grocery store for his weekly shop, Warwick set himself a challenge to stand tall and push the trolley around the supermarket. With support from staff, Warwick was able to walk and push the trolley and was very helpful with the grocery shopping.

“This is such a great achievement for Warwick. His determination is inspiring, and with a little extra help from staff, he has achieved his goal. His newfound confidence in his abilities is really shining through,” said Jade, Team Leader at the Waterford Supported Accommodation.

Residents are encouraged to choose groceries from a list to create their menu plan. They then visit the local grocery store to have a complete planning and shopping experience. Graeme and Peter from the Country Lodge home like to make healthy meal choices. With staff support, they decide on a meal to make and go shopping to get the ingredients they need.

Residents enjoy selecting fresh produce of fruits and vegetables. Their favourite part is smelling the fresh aromas of the produce and feeling their textures while they pick what they need.

Deemara, Michael, John and Andrew from the Lavender, Aussie Digs and Dolphin Cove homes sit down with staff each week to work out a menu plan. They list the groceries they need to create their meals. Together with staff, Deemara, Michael, John and Andrew go to the grocery store to choose the ingredientsthey need to create their delicious meals. They choose drinks and, on occasion, a treat or two for dessert.

When all the groceries are collected, residents are supported to load their selections onto the store’s conveyor belt, engage in friendly and polite conversation with the checkout staff and pay for their weekly shop.

When the ladies from the Butterflies Supported Accommodation return home after shopping, they put their groceries away in the appropriate locations with a sense of accomplishment. Building our clients independence and skills is what the Afford Lifestyle is all about.

As part of the shopping experience, residents build relationships with their local retailers. In some cases, residents have become so much of the community that their grocery store employees know them by their first name.

Residents love gathering in their state-of-the-art kitchen for a catch-up chat and to cook up a storm together in the evenings. They enjoy the different smells of their cooking while it simmers on the stove.

Clients take ownership in their homes and enjoy inviting their friends from work or community centre over to a nice home-cooked dinner and are more than happy to have their family visit to show off their cooking skills.

Find out more about the Afford Lifestyle and how Afford can support you to lead a healthy and engaged life.