Another study, another report. Yet again, we hear that many of our frail older citizens are undernourished.  This time, it’s a study by Western Health Services in Victoria - reported in The Age newspaper earlier this month. 

Here we find that more than a fifth of all elderly people admitted to hospital are malnourished. The scary bit is that over half the underfed people in this study were referred from nursing homes or other hospitals. Yes, they were actually in care!

These were not old people living alone at home, unable to shop and cook and with no food in the fridge. The majority came from hospitals and nursing facilities - supposedly with nurses, cooks, dieticians, medical supervision and care-plans. Yet, they were malnourished. And this is occurring in a wealthy country with a major obesity problem. 

Looking forward to a diet of party pies, dim sims, white bread sandwiches, chicken nuggets and soup made from dehydrated substances - all washed down with a glass of cheap cordial? Then make your next stop an aged-care facility. To be fair, we all know that there are some aged-care homes where residents are provided with a variety of well-prepared, tasty meals. But there are estimates which suggest that nursing home meals cost about $1.75 per person a day on average.

However, poor resourcing is not the only concern. Bad nutrition in residential facilities is often exacerbated by the generally inadequate staffing levels. Too often there are just not enough people on duty to assist frail high-care residents with their meals. Food is left on the bed trays of helpless people – and then taken away barely touched.

In hospitals, nursing staff find it difficult, if not impossible, to assist all those who need help. Have you ever watched an aged relative or friend try to open those small packages of condiments left on their hospital food trays?

Another reason why aged-care residents end up literally starving, relates to the difficulty of getting adequate dental care these days. Those public waiting lists are long indeed. It must be hard to look forward to your meal when your mouth and gums need urgent attention.

And then of course, there are the high incidents of depression experienced by older people in care. Depressed people are not usually big eaters. 

Professor Allan McLean, Director of the National Ageing Research Institute, calls the dietary neglect of frail older people a "national shame".  He is quoted as saying that "many of those who consulted him after they suffer a fall are dangerously thin. Most have no flesh on the bones. Plump ones are as a rare as rocking horse manure"

Now I wonder who is doing anything about that?