Millions Invested in Aged Care Meals — But What About the Seniors Living at Home?
The recent article published by HelloCare on Maggie Beer’s aged care meal reform sparked a wave of conversation across the aged care and allied health sectors.
While the advocacy has shone a spotlight on an urgent issue, many professionals raised a deeper question:
Are we solving the right problem — and for the right people?
In the comments, aged care professionals, clinicians, and food service leaders expressed concerns:
- That millions have been spent on facility-based meal initiatives with mixed or unclear results
- That the aged care workforce is under-resourced and stretched thin
- And that while residential care is being prioritised, scalable solutions for older Australians living at home are still lacking
The Missing Piece: Nutrition in the Home
Most aged care food reform efforts focus on residential care settings. However, the majority of older Australians are living at home—and that’s where the biggest service gap lies.
For every one person in a residential aged care facility, at least six are receiving government-funded aged care support at home.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:
- Approximately 180,000 people live in permanent residential aged care
- More than 216,000 people receive a Home Care Package
- An additional 890,000 receive support through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
And yet, almost all government food reform, funding, and media attention remains focused on facilities.
Our Approach at Eat Well Health
While large-scale initiatives have drawn attention, Eat Well Health has taken a different approach—building a lean, clinically-informed, and tech-enabled model that supports older Australians living independently at home.
Free Nutrition Screening for Anyone
We’ve developed a free, five-minute nutrition screening tool that anyone can access through our website. No referral, eligibility criteria, or payment is required.
The questionnaire was designed by our dietetics team using established principles from widely used nutrition screening tools. It’s intended to help individuals—or their carers—identify whether they may be at risk of malnutrition and guide them toward appropriate next steps.
These include:
- Talking to their GP or regular care provider
- Booking a telehealth consultation with one of our dietitians
- Exploring funded nutrition support options if they are on a Home Care Package
Simple, Actionable Support Pathways
Where appropriate, clients may be supported with:
- Nutrition support products eligible for funding under Home Care Packages
- A summary report they can take to their doctor or provider
- Optional follow-up through the Eat Well Health team
There is no cost to the client, and no administrative burden on their care provider.
Expanding Access with AI and Remote Monitoring
To further increase accessibility, especially for older Australians who are less confident with digital tools, we are developing:
- An AI-powered avatar that guides clients through the screening using natural conversation
- Smart scales that sync with a client’s profile and alert carers or home care providers if there are significant changes in weight
This creates a real-time nutrition safety net—simple, scalable, and proactive.
Built Without Funding—Designed to Support, Not Replace
We’ve achieved all of this without any government funding to date. It’s been developed through clinical expertise, community feedback, and purposeful technology design.
Our model does not replace dietitians, GPs, or home care providers. It supports them—and helps ensure older Australians living at home do not fall through the cracks in our aged care system.
Let’s Broaden the Conversation
As the government rolls out the Support at Home program and increases its focus on nutrition planning, we hope more attention—and investment—is directed toward those ageing at home.
Fixing the food on the plate is important. But first, we need to make sure someone is still sitting at the table.
Learn more or try the free screening tool:
https://eatwellhealth.com.au/pages/nutrition-assessment-questionnaire-1
Contact us:
hello@eatwellhealth.com.au
(08) 6119 3698