Jane Murphy is Professor of Nutrition, a Registered Nutritionist and Dietitian and co-leads the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre at Bournemouth University. She will be speaking at the upcoming BGS Autumn Meeting on 27 November at 14:30 (UK time). She tweets @JaneLMurphy100
Over 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, many of whom struggle with eating and drinking issues affecting nutritional status, due to changes in memory, motor skills, appetite, taste perception, dysphagia and food preferences. Unintentional weight loss and malnutrition are common in people with dementia and can occur at any stage of the condition, contributing significantly to reduced physical and cognitive status and quality of life. By the time someone with dementia moves into a care home, they may already be experiencing significant weight loss and other nutrition-related problems. This can trigger further physical and mental deterioration, which means that supporting people living with dementia to eat and drink well can be quite a challenge for busy care and nursing staff. It is important that all staff have appropriate skills and knowledge to support eating and drinking for people living with dementia, in accordance with the national Dementia Training Standards Framework (Skills for Health et al 2018).
