Nutrition key to holistic ageing

Mood and fatigue go hand-in-hand in supporting positive ageing, Yvonne Feely, national manager of dietetics at Food Solutions Diet Consultants has told the 250 attendees on day 1 of the Positive Ageing Summit. But motivation for older people to exercise and eat nutritious meals is often lacking, and care staff need to find ways to introduce these aspects of positive ageing through social opportunities – which Ms Feeley said will in turn improve their mental health.

“I think both the mood, the fatigue, the energy, all need to come through healthy eating, through healthy living, but also social engagement,” she said, as part of the Overcoming Barriers: The Allied Health Perspective panel.

There is significant evidence supporting the importance of nutrition and hydration in healthy ageing. However, there are still many older people who could be living with improved health and quality of life if better nourished, panel moderator Christina Wyatt pointed out. But for many home care clients, the dining experience is an isolating one, Ms Feeley added, that is built around frozen meals.

“Nobody’s there with them. Nobody checks to see what they’re eating. Nobody checks to see what’s left. But we all know that that fridge is often full of Meals on Wheels meals for the last week that they haven’t eaten. What do we do about that? Nobody’s checking,” she said.

Ms Feeley also reiterated that losing one’s appetite and losing weight is not an inherent or unavoidable part of ageing and providers need to ensure carers are educated on the signs of malnutrition, the importance of checking the fridge and the importance of connectivity.

“Talk to them about finding out what is it that the older person wants and then please try and get everybody out of their home. We really need to get everybody out and about with everybody, where they can actually share eating in a social environment as we would,” she told the Adelaide audience.

“Food is everybody’s business. Whether it’s a carer, whether it’s the dietitian, whether it’s the physio, if there are exercise programs, then we need to have some encouragement.”

Food Solutions aged care dietitian lead Kylie Walton similarly emphasised the significance of food in preventing falls and boosting mental wellbeing on day 2.

“It’s culturally significant, it’s socially significant and emotionally significant, so I think it’s just one of those things that can bring a lot of joy into people’s lives, and going in and talking about food brings a lot of joy into some of the clients that I speak to… so that’s really a rewarding thing,” she told delegates.

“Family members care about their loved ones’ nutrition a lot. You know, we like to feed people if we’re worried about them.”

Strengthened standards include focus on food

Also speaking at day 2, assistant secretary, choice and transparency branch at the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Ingrid Leonard emphasised the department’s commitment to boosting nutrition outcomes in aged care – saying she is immensely proud of the strengthened standards relating to food.

“Positive ageing in many ways is a central concept behind the new Age Care Act, where people really are to be active participants in their own care and providers are required to support them to do so,” she said.

The incoming strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards for the first time have a dedicated standard on food and nutrition for residential aged care homes, which Ms Leonard said aimed to ensure older people were getting food and drinks that were varied, nutritious, appetising and safe.

The strengthened standards are also extending this recognition of nutrition in positive ageing to the dining experience, embedding the expectation that providers should partner with older people to develop a quality meal and refreshment service that is varied and leads to an enjoyable dining environment.

“Food and nutrition is one of the areas where providers can make a huge difference to supporting positive ageing and the enjoyment of life. A meal that you can look forward to, something that does more than just satisfy an appetite actually does wonders for lifting an individual’s mood. We all know that,” she said.

“And ensuring that residents are receiving nutritious and delicious meals is really critical to maintaining good health and helping residents regain skills and functionality.”

Ms Walton also pointed to the way food can provide a sense of control and empowerment – if consumers feel included in the process and their changing tastes and preferences are recognised.

“We’re at that point where there’s that opportunity for meaningful change. We’ve already seen a massive improvement in the residential aged care space in terms of what the expectations and the standards are with food,” she said.

“It’s time now to start pushing that forward” into home care, she added.

Positive Ageing Summit is an initiative of Australian Ageing Agenda and Community Care Review – read our coverage of the event here and find out more on the Positive Ageing Summit 2025 website