MALNUTRITION is rife in Australian nursing homes, according to a study showing half of residents are weak from not enough food.

Nursing specialists are calling for an overhaul of nutritional care of vulnerable elderly people on the back of survey results which found just 50.5 per cent are well-nourished.

Nutritional assessment of more than 350 high-care residents in eight aged care facilities in Queensland found that 43 per cent were moderately malnourished and 6.5 per cent were severely malnourished.

Older patients and those requiring the most care had the worst rates, the study in the Australasian Journal of Ageing showed.

The research team, lead by Queensland University of Technology, also found that just 18 per cent of the malnourished residents had been seen by a dietician, and only 29 per cent were receiving supplements.

They said the high rates were probably due to responsibility for daily nutritional care, such as assistance with meals, supplements and monitoring of food intake, falling largely onto care staff.

The study also showed that staff awareness of the importance of nutrition on resident outcomes was inconsistent.

Residents' dental health, which influences general health, was also found to be poorly recorded and oral assessments often outdated.

The situation was best improved with increases to staff training and a better focus on dietary intake, the researchers said.

"Most causes of malnutrition (in nursing homes) are modifiable and central to improving this is greater staff awareness, better assessment skills of care staff and adequate overall management of nutritional care," they wrote in the journal.

Source: The Australian - Tamara McLean