A study has found that about 30 per cent of the elderly surveyed are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Meal provision services badly need an upgrade and more should be done to ensure meal preparation at home is practical and safe.

Malnutrition among older adults in Hong Kong is a public health issue that must not be overlooked. The impact of malnutrition on their health would jeopardise their quality of life and increase the burden on the health care system. Therefore we must develop feasible strategies to address the problem.

Recently, The Nethersole School of Nursing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong collaborated with the Neighborhood Advice-Action Council to assess the prevalence of malnutrition in the older population. We found that about 30 per cent of the 613 home-dwelling study participants were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

Notably, impaired vision, poor appetite and meal skipping were each found to cause an at least twofold increase in the risk of malnutrition.

Combating geriatric malnutrition requires the concerted efforts of multiple parties. First, the meal-provision services for the older population should be enhanced, such as by setting up elderly canteens and encouraging eateries or social enterprises to offer meals at a reduced rate for older adults so they can also enjoy nutritious meals as well as social interaction at mealtime.

At present, the catering services provided by community centres are limited to a small proportion of frail seniors, due to space limitations. To encourage older adults who are reluctant to pay for meals to eat regularly, the government could provide them with meal vouchers, rather than cash assistance.

The current meals-on-wheel services for older people has been criticised because the food supplied is unappealing and not hot. Door-to-door delivery of frozen nutritious meals would enable older adults who possess basic cooking skills and appliances to reheat meals as needed.

Another option would be to incentivise neighbourhood meal-sharing to promote compassion and mutual support in the community.

Second, safety during meal preparation should be promoted to older adults. Age-appropriate recipes, such as for soft-texture meals, would address the chewing and swallowing difficulties commonly experienced by older adults. Also, vision health-screening services at primary care should be strengthened to reduce older adults’ risk of accidents during meal preparation.

The government has placed “ageing in place” at the top of its policy agenda. However, we note that the recent coronavirus epidemic has further deterred older adults from accessing nutritious meals in the community.

There is an urgent need to raise public awareness about the service gaps and mobilise community resources to ensure the provision of accessible and affordable meal services for the older population, so that those who remain at home can be independent, safe and comfortable.

Professor Helen Yue-lai Chan, associate professor, The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong

Elina S.M. Fung, executive director, The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council