Aged Care Insite Issue 92 | December 2015 - January 2016 | Page 26

advertorial

Professor David
Hunter, arthritis
expert and Head of
the Rheumatology
Department, Royal
North Shore Hospital
in Sydney:
“The impact of
musculoskeletal
diseases like osteoarthritis pose a huge
health burden to Australian society, second
only to mental health.
“Osteoarthritis of the hand is
particularly common. Most of us take
for granted the daily activities we use
our hands for – tying our shoelaces,
opening our food or using a knife or fork.
To someone who suffers arthritis, these
seemingly simple tasks can be incredibly
difficult and painful.
“In a hospital or an aged-care facility,
every meal should be an opportunity for
patients to consume maximum nutrition.
Encouraging new food delivery and
packaging innovations is definitely a step

Nourishing Australia’s ageing population

T

he number of people in Australia aged 65 and over has
more than tripled over the last fifty years, rising to 3.4
million in 20141 (over 14% of the population). The most
commonly reported condition+ affecting half of all people aged
65 and over2 is arthritis.
Over the next several decades, population ageing is projected
to have significant implications for Australia’s economic,
infrastructure, social and health needs.
Unfortunately, Australia’s oldest demographic segments are
often overlooked when it comes to nutrition and to packaging
design. Hard-to-open food packaging is not uncommon,
especially in facilities which cater to elderly people with fine motor
skill difficulties. This represents a source of frustration for patients
and a barrier to nutrition.

INTRODUCING SPC PROVITAL
The SPC ProVital range of high quality, portion control fruit cups has
been specifically designed by SPC in collaboration with healthcare
professionals. The new range aims to provide an accessible and
nutritious fruit snack to patients with fine motor skills difficulties and/
or difficulty swallowing.
Key feature of the SPC ProVital portion control fruit cups:
• Portion controlled to deliver one serve of fruit
• Clear instructions for opening
• A textured and lengthened pull tab for easier grip
• Optimised seal to reduce opening force

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Decagon shape for easier grip
Smaller grip span for easier hold
Easy to locate and read best before date
Extra-large font for improved legibility
The SPC ProVital packaging is recyclable and the design creates
less wastage and improved nutrition as patients are able to access
their food more easily. Portion controlled accessible packaging
offers cost savings and efficiency within the healthcare system,
eliminating or dramatically decreasing indirect costs such as time
to serve, product double handling, cost of container, storage,
waste, cleaning, labelling.
SPC ProVital packaging is recyclable and offers cost savings and
efficiencies within the healthcare system:
• Saves time and resources by reducing the time needed to help
people with their food
• Reduces patient frustration by empowering them to choose and
access the nutrition they deserve whenever they want
• Reduces direct and indirect costs such as time to serve, cost of
container, storage, waste, cleaning, labelling

SPC PROVITAL IS
• An Australian Innovation
• Australian Made
• Australian Fruit*
• Australian Quality
* excluding the fruit salad which has imported pineapple

+
excluding short- and long-sightedness | References: 1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015 (http://www.aihw.gov.au/ageing/) Accessed 23 September 2015. 2. AIHW 2014.
Australia’s health 2014. Australia’s health no. 14. Cat. no. AUS 178. Canberra: AIHW.
About SPC: SPC Ardmona has been committed to bringing premium packed fruit and vegetables to Australians for nearly 100 years. The company’s iconic food brands, Ardmona®,
GOULBURN VALLEY®, IXL®, SPC® and TAYLOR’S® are strong performers in their product categories and are further developed and supported by continued investm