Nourish to age well

Good nutrition is about so much more than simply what’s on the plate. It’s the key to ageing well at home.

Ask most Australians about the biggest health risks for older people and you’ll likely hear concerns like heart disease or dementia. But malnutrition is quietly compromising older people’s ability to age well, particularly for those choosing to live independently at home.

“One in two people living in their own homes may have an inadequate diet,” says Jane Anderson, Service Innovation Lead for Aged Care and Community Services at UnitingCare. “That increases their risk of malnutrition, and in turn, their risk of falls, infection, and poor would healing, which can lead to increased hospitalisation rates, where people can stay and they may not necessarily come home.”

Jane is one of the minds behind Nourish, a program developed in response to the issue of malnutrition. But Nourish is about more than just food. It’s designed to help support people to live well at home, despite the increasing complexities that come with ageing.

As more people opt to ‘age in place’ rather than move into residential care, making sure they’re well-supported becomes increasingly important, explains Jane. One of the gaps Jane and her team recognised when developing Nourish was that while services existed to ensure there’s food in the house—often via frozen meal delivery—there was a glaring gap in the broader context of good nutrition.

“Malnutrition in older adults isn’t cause by just one thing,” she explains. “It’s multifactorial. It can stem from illness, changes in appetite, loneliness, financial pressure, or even forgetting how to prepare food, particularly for those living with dementia.”

It’s the accumulation of these everyday challenges that sparked the idea for a different approach. One that blends good food with nutritional expertise and practical in-home support, while also making space for other important elements like food preferences and cultural considerations.

What emerged was Nourish, a clinically-led, home-based nutrition service designed in collaboration with clients.

“The client works alongside a dietitian,” explains Jane. “Together, they create a personalised meal plan that considers health goals, dietary needs, and even cooking ability”—something that can be affected by age, health conditions, or life changes. “Then we match them with a trained team member who can support the meal preparation in their home.”

That support looks different for everyone. It can include cooking, modifying meals for swallowing issues or chronic health conditions, or simply providing company in the kitchen.

“Loneliness is a huge factor,” Jane says. “One in five older Australians living at home are lonely. When people lose a partner who used to cook for them, they often lack the knowledge, or motivation, to keep eating well. And when your emotional wellbeing is low, your appetite follows.”

Unlike pre-prepared meals, Nourish aims to reintroduce the joy of cooking an eating.

“Taste fatigue is real,” Jane says. “People get tired of eating the same thing, especially if it all starts to taste the same.” Nourish brings novelty back to meals, based on what the client actually wants. And because it’s expert-led, it provides a level of clinical oversight not typically seen in meal services.

Having a dedicated dietitian means meals can be adjusted as needed, whether due to chronic conditions, medication side effects, or evolving health goals. It’s this adaptability that’s key to addressing the nutrition needs of older people, something Jane says is essential if we want to help them age well at home.

Nourish embodies BlueCare’s overarching goal: to help people age well. It’s about building a healthier, happier, and more supported community. One where people can live in a way that serves them. And good nutrition can spark a tidal wave of positive on-flow, Jane says.

“Good nutrition can reduce the risk of chronic disease, slow the progression of age-related conditions like muscle and bone loss, and even support cognitive health,” she says. “If we get it right, we don’t just improve someone’s diet, we improve their quality of life.”