Nutrition Day

nutritional diet to support their health and wellbeing, but what does that mean in practice?

A complicated challenge Addressing malnutrition in the elderly is particularly complex. There is a natural decline in appetite that tends to come with age, at a time when our bodies have the same – if not higher – nutritional requirements, while smell and taste also typically decline. Additional factors such as loneliness and depression can make it hard for homes to encourage residents to eat in the fi rst place.

Malnutrition can quickly take its toll and, if left untreated, can lead to a range of complications such as poor immunity, loss of muscle and bone strength and, ultimately, death.

Tackling Malnutrition among the elderly together

As the fi rst ever National Nutrition Day approaches on 20 March, apetito dietitian Helen Blunn looks at the challenges faced by care homes in addressing malnutrition.

I

n a year that began with shocking news that one in ten elderly people in care don’t believe they receive enough food and drink, the inaugural National Nutrition Day couldn’t come soon enough. Launched by the National

Association of Care Catering and the Hospital Caterers Association, the Day is aimed at raising awareness of

good nutritional care in care homes, hospitals and the community. The day, 20 March 2013, will provide a chance to pause and consider this vital aspect of care, which plays such an important role in maintaining health and wellbeing.

The disturbing headline I quoted at the start of this piece has prompted yet more warnings that Britain’s overstretched care system is in a ‘massive crisis’ as cash-strapped local authorities continue to target care budgets for further cuts.

One in three elderly people are malnourished on entering a care home and, in the majority of cases, incidences of malnutrition actually tend to increase during a resident’s stay, with more than 40 per cent at risk of after 4 to 6 months, according to BAPEN.

While these statistics paint a damning picture, the diffi culties faced by homes in meeting the nutritional needs of residents must of course be recognised. No one can dispute they should be provided with a balanced,

28 Care Home Management | March/April 2013

Standard setting What’s needed is a greater understanding of the importance of nutrition, including a clear set of standards.

At present, each nation within the UK has its own standards for nutritional care in care homes, all of which are slightly different. A plethora of guidance exists from numerous respected sources, but with no clear set of uniform regulations that are easy to follow, it is incredibly diffi cult for care home managers to know where to start.

As government cuts continue to take their toll on frontline community services such as community meals, which support elderly people at home, it can only be expected that the number of people entering care homes with malnutrition will rise. As well as raising awareness of the importance of nutrition in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the elderly, we hope National Nutrition Day will also draw attention to this urgent need for clearer guidance to make it easier for homes to ensure their residents are getting the nutritional intake they need to remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible.