The serious problem is that there is no clearly defined government nutrition program for Australian older people. In fact, according to Shine (2019), there is no diversity of health centers for older people that allow patients to receive counseling or assistance. Indeed, several organizations provide this service, but to receive it, the elderly have to wait in queue for many months (Shine, 2019). The lack of help is caused by the lack of investments in national projects, and those existing ones cannot address eating disorders among older Australians (Ibrahim, 2019). A specific diet is known to be necessary for this population, as even minor fluctuations in body weight can be fatal (“NEDC e-Bulletin,” n.d.). In other words, care centers for older persons should be equipped with qualified and specially trained personnel who will take into account the nutritional characteristics of older persons. Given that older persons constitute 15 percent of the continent’s total population, the administration should be interested in organizing national projects to address food issues related not only to the availability of quality food but also to the nutritional value of the food (“Older Australia at a glance,” 2018). Otherwise, it threatens to increase the mortality rate among older persons, which will cause a serious economic crisis. Ultimately, poorly designed policies of the authorities may lead to social and economic collapse on the continent. A catastrophe can be averted if the Australian administration begins to improve nutrition for older people.
References
Ibrahim, J. E. (2019). Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety: The key clinical issues. Medical Journal of Australia, 210(10), 439-441.
NEDC e-Bulletin. (n.d.). National Eating Disorders Collaboration. Web.
Older Australia at a glance. (2018). Australian Government.
Shine, R. (2019). Diagnosed with anorexia two years ago, Amanda is one of the forgotten victims of eating disorders. ABC News.