Myth busting:

Fact or Fiction? 

'All Older People's Nutritional Requirements are the Same' 

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The nutritional recommendations for the majority of people aged over 65 is to follow similar patterns of eating and lifestyle to those advised for maintaining health in younger adults. However​ as this older person population group in particular are not a homogeneous group, often complicated with a number of medical conditions which impact to varying degrees on general overall health and daily living needs, their individual nutritional requirements vary widely and needs tailoring in this life stage. They can be either 'nutritionally well' or 'nutritionally vulnerable' requiring either 'healthy eating' or 'eat for health' approaches and this too can be to varying degrees and over various period of times.

We all need to eat well but this group have a greater risk of becoming undernourished and this can have an impact on their health, well-being and quality of life.  For those also living with dementia may also find it more difficult to access a a nutritious diet for a number of reasons.

For more information see the resource Eating Well: Supporting Older People and Older People with Dementia from Caroline Walker Trust (2011) 
​http://www.cwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EW-Old-Dementia-Practical-Resource.pdf and NHS Choices on Meals, nutrition and feeding http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/Pages/meals-nutrition-feeding.aspx