Department Seminar - How can we better support nutrition in frail older people?

Title:

How can we better support nutrition in frail older people? Exploring the views and practices of older people at risk of malnutrition, carers, primary care and community health professionals.

Speaker:

Christina Avgerinou - CAPS

Abstract:

Malnutrition can be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in later life, and estimates suggest it affects 1.3 million people over 65 in the UK. Malnourished people see their GP twice as often, have three times the number of hospital admissions and stay in hospital more than three days longer than those who are well-nourished. However, the risk of malnutrition is currently underdiagnosed and undertreated in the community, and we know little about what can help improve this.  

Findings from our qualitative studies will be presented, where we explored the views and practices of older people at risk of malnutrition, their carers, primary care and community professionals on managing malnutrition, aiming to identify gaps in knowledge, facilitators and barriers to eating in later life, and identify components of primary care based interventions to support nutrition in community-dwelling older adults. Implications for research and practice will be discussed, including future interventions to support nutrition in frail older people.