The remit of our group is to work with interested individuals, national and local organisations, researchers and health care staff to optimise nutrition and hydration practice in care homes.
Our aims are to:
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Review and develop the guidelines for preventing malnutrition and dehydration in care homes
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Review and develop guidelines for supplementation of vitamin D for residents living in care homes
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Improve implementation of the guidelines for optimising nutrition and hydration in care homes
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Increase communication and develop joined up working between multidisciplinary groups on examples of good practice
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Act as a focus group for developing research into interventions into optimising nutrition, hydration and vitamin D supplementation in Care Homes and increase the research evidence base
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Increase communication on the research evidence base across interested groups and organisations including circulating research findings.
Members of our group include:
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Academic researchers from several universities (many with health professional backgrounds including nursing, dietetics, nutrition, Speech & Language therapy and medicine)
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Practising Geriatricians
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Members of the British Geriatric Society
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Members of The British Dietetic Association (BDA)
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Members of the BDA Older People’s Specialist Group and Food Services Specialist Group
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Members from The National Care Home Caterers Association
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Representatives from AgeUK and the Malnutrition Task Force
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Care home managers
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Care home resident/s
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A representative from Public Health England
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A Community pharmacist
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BAPEN (British Association for Enteral & Parenteral Nutrition)
Initiative Team
This initiative is being led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) by Professor Ailsa Welch (a.welch@uea.ac.uk), with Dr Diane Bunn (d.bunn@uea.ac.uk) and Dr Lee Hooper (l.hooper@uea.ac.uk)
Administrative support: Liz Gladwell (elizabeth.gladwell@uea.ac.uk)
Funding for administrative support is provided by the British Geriatrics Society.
Useful Links
The following is a list of links to various national & local organisations, researchers & health care staff for organisations which are thematically linked with this initiative.