Nutrition

Older adults are at increased risk of malnutrition due to a complex interplay of health, social, and system-level factors, including chronic disease, polypharmacy, poor-quality care and meals, social isolation, depression, and age-related functional decline. Malnutrition in later life is often under-recognized and under-prioritized, despite its strong association with frailty, hospitalisation, functional loss, and reduced quality of life. Nutrition sits at the intersection of health, care quality, social connection, and equity. Strengthening nutritional support in later life represents a low-cost, high-impact opportunity to prevent frailty, delay disease progression, and support functional ability, independence, mental health, and wellbeing.