Our position

We support the implementation of mandatory malnutrition screening in aged care. We are also calling on the government to develop a national policy for nutrition care in community and residential aged care. This will improve the quality of life for aged care consumers.

To improve health outcomes for aged care consumers, we need more funding to provide:  

• malnutrition screenings at the assessment stage, beginning of care and on a regular basis
• training for aged care staff on how to identify and manage those at nutritional risk
• Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) support for residents identified at risk of malnutrition or malnourishment.

These measures will improve the quality of life for aged care consumers and could provide more than $80 million in savings. 

Malnutrition in Australia

There are more than 200,000 Australians in residential aged care services. Recent studies have identified how prevalent malnutrition is in aged care. 

Malnutrition is known to: 

• increase the risk of falls
• pressure injuries
• increase hospital admissions
• have adverse outcomes on mortality rates. 

For more, download our full position statement on malnutrition in aged care.