Australia's largest scale Aged Care nutritional study has shown that 40 per cent of people living in residential care are malnourished. The authors of the study, from Monash and Griffith Universities, warn that insufficient processes to systematically detect nutritional status means many residents are not recognised as being malnourished and remain untreated.
Published in the journal, Healthcare, the study spanned facilities across New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, and found that 40 per cent of residents were categorised as malnourished, with six per cent characterised as severely malnourished.
By the year 2050, it is estimated that the number of people 60 years and older will double, and that those 80 years or older will triple.
The Australian Government currently estimates the cost of malnutrition in residential aged care facilities at approximately $9 billion a year. The report by the 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety stated that the residential aged care sector had "failed to meet the nutritional needs of people for whom they care". The Commission specifically identified improving nutrition as a priority area for immediate attention.
According to lead author of the study, Dr Jonathan Foo, from Monash University's Department of Physiotherapy, good nutrition plays a crucial role in healthy ageing. "Malnutrition is associated with poorer overall health, increased hospitalisation rates, higher rates of falls and fractures, slower wound healing, higher infection risk, and accelerated mortality," he said.
"Despite such risks, aged care providers are not suitably resourced to perform routine screening using validated tools meaning many malnourished residents are likely to be undetected and therefore untreated."
Dr Marie-Claire O'Shea from Griffith University's School of Health Sciences and Social Work said older Australians deserve better nutritional care and the time is now with malnutrition a national problem.
"The rates of malnutrition can vary from home to home with some statistics reporting up to 78 per cent, however, our study, which was significant in number, reported a rate of around 40 per cent," Dr O'Shea said.
"Early malnutrition identification is just the first step, as improvements in food quantity and food quality are also required.
"We are working with aged care providers and residents to enhance the dining experience, and we believe this is the key missing piece of the malnutrition puzzle."
For more than 20 years, Australia's aged care sector, responsible for more than 190,000 individuals, has encountered substantial scrutiny regarding its handling of the malnutrition crisis.
The study recommends that regular screening "is crucial to identify those who need a full malnutrition assessment and intervention."
"Our research group is currently working on implementing automated malnutrition screening and food-first malnutrition support pathways with our forward-thinking aged care partners," Dr Foo said.
"The sector is already overwhelmed by all the requirements of providing care to ageing Australians, we need to focus on approaches that overcome challenges rather than burdening providers."
