ACTION is being stepped up to tackle malnutrition among older people amid fears of rising rates in Scotland fuelled by isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The nation’s first alliance of its kind has started work in the Scottish Borders on training and in raising awareness to identify those at risk sooner and to help them back to better health.

Details have been revealed today as UK Malnutrition Awareness Week gets under way. Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders are among those working with charity Food Train’s Eat Well Age Well project to increase conversations about nutrition and weight loss in order to identify need.

The campaign is asking a series of simple questions that will secure earlier intervention for those aged 65 and over who live in their own homes and are at risk of becoming malnourished.

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It is a lead that supporters hope authorities across the country will follow to improve the health and wellbeing of older people and ease the strain of the consequences.

Experts at Eat Well Age Well estimate that between 20% and 30% of Older People living in Scotland are suffering or at risk of malnourishment. There are also concerns that those numbers are increasing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The alliance in the Scottish Borders, which also has the support of third sector groups, care organisations and social landlords, will see their staff trained to spot the signs of malnutrition, to help identify the need for nutritional help and point people towards support that should prevent problems from escalating.

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Laura Cairns, Food Train’s Eat Well Age Well project manager, said: “We have long said that malnutrition among Older People is under-recognised and under-reported.

“Increased screening action and early identification of malnutrition in the Scottish Borders will help address that and create an example that we hope can be rolled out across Scotland.”

She continued: “By giving health, social care staff and volunteers the knowledge to spot the signs of malnutrition and more generally asking older people some simple yet key questions, we will make a difference.

“We have real concerns that the social isolation brought about for Older People by Covid-19 means the prevalence of malnutrition is increasing, making the timing of this work crucial.”