Nutritional Care Wessex newsletter Issue 2

The focus for the Wessex Academic Health Science Network Nutrition Programme is malnutrition (under-nutrition) in older people.  Malnutrition is ‘under recognised and under treated across all care settings’ (Elia 2003), with screening and care of those in the community being particularly difficult to implement.

93% of people at risk of developing malnutrition live in the community care setting.  Malnutrition is more of an issue in older people with 14% of the over 65s (1 million people) being at risk of malnutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition is much greater once people require health or social care: 25% of adults on admission to hospitals;  41% of adults admitted to care homes in the previous 6 months; 19% of adults on admission to mental health units in the UK (Nutrition Screening Week data).

In the 2nd issue of the Wessex ASHN Nutritional  Care Wessex newsletter, some of the great work taking place across Wessex in the arena of malnutrition in older people is highlighted.  We also discuss some of the elements of the Nutritional Care Wessex Toolkit that is being developed:  this toolkit will be available to organisations across Wessex (and nationally) to help support local work in this area

For more information, please contact nutrition@wessexahsn.net

To download the 2nd issue of the Wessex ASHN Nutritional  Care Wessex newsletter please click the link below.