As the global population ages, maintaining quality of life—not just longevity—has become a public health priority. This Workshop explores the transformative impact of nutrition on the health, independence, and emotional well-being of older persons, particularly in long-term care settings. Drawing on evidence-informed practices and insights from South Africa’s aged care landscape, this session will highlight the role of nutrition as a critical enabler of healthy ageing.

Nutrition is a powerful, cost-effective tool in preventing and managing age-related conditions such as frailty, cognitive decline, falls, and chronic disease. However, its full potential is often underutilized in aged care systems. Challenges such as undernutrition, polypharmacy, oral health issues, reduced appetite, and socio-economic disparities often go unaddressed. This Workshop will present a practical framework for using nutrition as a proactive strategy, not only to manage disease, but to meaningfully improve daily function, emotional well-being, and social connection among older adults.

Participants will engage in discussion around effective nutrition interventions, including the integration of the MIND diet and Mediterranean principles into aged care menus, and the importance of individualized nutritional assessments. Real-world case studies from South African care facilities will illustrate how dietitian-led collaboration with interdisciplinary teams—nurses, caregivers, and food service staff—can lead to measurable improvements in quality of life indicators, such as weight gain, mood, mobility, and reduced medication use.

Interactive elements allow participants to reflect on their local contexts and share promising practices. A key focus will be aligning nutritional care with person-centred values and dignity, as outlined in the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. We will explore how small, sustainable shifts in food quality, meal timing, and texture-modified diets can yield significant benefits.

By the end of the session, attendees will gain practical insights into:

• Identifying and addressing common nutritional risks in older adults.

• Implementing culturally appropriate and evidence-based dietary strategies.

• Collaborating across disciplines to embed nutrition in care planning.

• Monitoring progress through meaningful and non-invasive quality of life indicators.

This Workshop is suitable for healthcare leaders, aged care managers, dietitians, policy influencers, and anyone working to enhance ageing outcomes through food and lifestyle-based interventions.