Jo Pannabecker
NZRD Dietitian
NZRD Dietitian
Passionate about the unique nutrition needs of older adults, Jo advocates for including nutrition in any strategy designed to support independence and wellbeing of the elderly. As a registered dietitian, her services extend beyond advice on healthy eating for healthy older adults to individualised assessment and strategies for elders who are managing chronic health conditions, including dementia, Parkinson’s, diabetes, dysphagia, and frailty.
Jo has an M.Appl.Sc from Lincoln University and studied dietetics in the U.S. Older adults have been her focus since her registration in 2013. She currently works as a consultant in residential aged care in Auckland and Southland, and opened her private practice ‘Elders At My Table’ in 2021 to offer her services to independent elders and their carers. She convenes the Dietitian New Zealand’s Special Interest group in Nutrition and Gerontology (SING). Jo doesn’t see nutrition as a magic bullet, rather as being akin to the laces in your running shoes – you can get by OK without them, but with them you are free to run, and can ‘go longer and stronger’. www.eldersatmytable.co.nz |
Dietary Challenges in Older People
Appropriate nutrition is vital to aging well, but getting this nutrition becomes more challenging with age. This presentation will discuss the nutrition priorities and challenges of older people, with examples of how dietitians support them in making dietary adaptions to meet these challenges and make food fun again.