Prisoners fed better than Aussies in aged care homes
According to shocking new statistics, Australian pensioners in aged care homes are fed on just $6 a day compared with prisoners who are fed on $8.25 a day.
The study, written by Bond University dietitian Cherie Hugo and accountant Stewart Brown, reveals that aged care homes spent on average $6.08 per resident to provide three meals a day, despite reaping in $1 billion in profits last year.
The research study was based on the financial reports from 817 aged care providers for 64,256 residents and shows that shockingly, half of these residents are suffering from malnutrition.
It was found that last year, nursing homes cut spending on food by 30 per cent per resident.
The authors of the study wrote that this reduction means that the spending on food for Aussie seniors appears to be “significantly lower than food budgets in the Australian community, correctional services and internationally”.
“Increasing the aged care profit margin by reducing food spend impacts the quality of resident care and can contribute to malnutrition rates in aged care.
“Malnutrition is associated with a cascade of adverse outcomes, including increased risk of falls, pressure injuries and hospital admissions, leading to poorer resident quality of life and increased healthcare costs.”
The study shows that in the same time period, aged care facilities in England, the US and Canada have increased their food budget for residents.
The study also found that the reliance on supplements over fresh food is impacting the health of those in aged care homes.
“The increase in supplements and food replacements in the present paper likely indicates that aged care providers perhaps choose supplements over fresh food and ingredients in response to unintentional resident weight loss,” it reads.
“Given the ongoing high rates of malnutrition in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities and potentially improved awareness of the issue despite an increased supplement spend, we are clearly not solving the expensive problem of malnutrition with current approaches.”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that on average, adults younger than 35 spend approximately $18.29 daily on food and drinks. Young couples, who were on average 28 years old, spend $23.60 per person each day. Older couples spent $17.25 per person on food and drinks daily.
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