Towards a digital intervention to support older adults with malnutrition: Findings from a design exploration with home care professionals

Maintaining a healthy diet is vital for overall well-being and quality of life. Older adults face unique challenges in sustaining a nutritious diet, often leading to malnutrition (Leij-Halfwerk et al, 2019). Age-related health conditions, medication interactions, limited mobility, and mental health challenges can contribute to inadequate nutritional intake (Volkert et al, 2019). Older adults frequently receive support from dietitians, GP’s, nurses, and their informal care network to improve and/or maintain adequate nutritional intake (Ziylan et al, 2015, Beelen et al., 2017). However, due to for example a lack of time and a lack of insight into the client’s health status, inadequate role division, and limited shared awareness within the care network, the support of older adults is often not optimal. Digital intervention could help address these challenges (ten Cate 2021; Marshall et al., 2018). In this paper, we explore the potential of digital tools to address these challenges, from the perspective of home care professionals.