March 7, 2016

National meals guidelines to support older Australians to live at home longer

Experts to develop the first national meals guidelines for the Australian Meals on Wheels Association.

Experts from UOW will develop the first national meals guidelines for the Australian Meals on Wheels Association in an effort to support older adults to remain at home for as long as possible.

With 24 per cent of Australia’s population expected to be aged 65 and over in 2056, compared to 13 per cent in 2007, the demand for community-based services that provide in-home assistance for older Australians is increasing.

Dietitian and project leader Associate Professor Karen Walton said providing home-delivered meals is a proven way to support older adults in their own homes and to help reduce pressure on residential aged care facilities which is an essential component of the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

“It is exciting to be working with the Australian Meals on Wheels Association to develop these contemporary and consumer-focused national meals guidelines.”

Professor Walton, from UOW’s Smart Foods Centre, has spent the past 10 years working to boost nutrition in the community, in hospitals and aged care settings.

She said it is estimated that 10-30 per cent of older people residing in the community are malnourished, with the prevalence rates likely to be higher for some groups, including the frail aged.

“Older adults may become malnourished for a number of reasons, including ill health, reduced appetite, bereavement, dentition issues, social isolation, reduced mobility and economic constraints.

“Providing nutritious meals is extremely important, and these guidelines will be under-pinned by the latest dietary research. However, the appeal and quality of our food is foremost in our minds. At the end of the day, we want people to eat, and eat well.”

Meals on Wheels is Australia’s largest provider of home-delivered meals to frail older people. The community-based organisation has operated in Australia since 1952 and currently delivers more than 10 million meals a year to approximately 50,000 clients across the country.

Australian Meals on Wheels Association President Nelson Mathews said: “This is a great project. I started my career as a Chef, and I’m passionate about good food.”

The project builds on UOW’s long-standing relationships with Meals on Wheels in NSW (particularly in Kiama, Northern Illawarra, Wollongong and Camden). Three previous UOW Community Engagement grants have explored the nutritional status and intakes of Meals on Wheels clients, trialled the provision of mini-meal options and nourishing snacks to improve protein and energy intake of clients, and provided audio storytelling of the lived experience of MOW clients and volunteers.

Professor Walton said the new guidelines would be released on Meals on Wheels Day (31 August 2016) and that further research would look at hospital and community based services for older patients when discharged from hospital.