What is healthy ageing?

A part of healthy ageing is ensuring that you receive the adequate nutrients that your body needs when it enters different stages of life. For some people this is affected by decreased total energy intake due to decreased mobility and therefore decreased exercise. For others it may mean increased energy intake due to ongoing chronic health conditions resulting in loss of weight and strength or decreased appetite. Elderly people are also at risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Diet is very important to assist with preventing and managing conditions that are common in the elderly population, such as:

• Osteoporosis.
• Heart disease.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol).
• Diabetes.

How can PPN dietitians help with healthy ageing?

Our dietitians can carry out a full nutrition assessment, taking into account physical activity levels and mobility. From this we will help you by formulating a plan to help you to achieve your goals, whether it is increased strength, weight gain or weight loss, prevention of a chronic health condition or just making sure you are obtaining adequate vitamins and minerals from your diet. The use of dietary supplements can also be very beneficial to assist with preventing loss of weight and decreased muscle mass, as well as assisting with decreased appetite. Our dietitians can also help to determine which supplement would be best suited.