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Nutrition and Dementia

Bournemouth University developed new research informed training tools to equip frontline nurses and care home staff with the skills needed to improve nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia.

Professor Jane Murphy, Dr Joanne Holmes, Dr Janet Scammell and the Bournemouth University team developed a research-informed toolkit comprising of freely available materials (a video, guide for care staff, guide for family carers and friends, resource, learning portfolio and model answers) to deliver person-centred nutritional care for people living with dementia.

Since completing the research in 2016, the resources continue to be used widely and adopted across the UK care home sector, demonstrating impact and improvements in practice and care for people with dementia (Murphy and Aryal, 2020).

Please visit Bournemouth University website below for more information

Optimising food and nutritional care for people with dementia

Credit

Bournemouth University

Reflective questions

Inspired by the themes addressed within these resources, the questions are designed as prompts for group reflection.

First Impressions & Emotional Response

  1. What was your immediate emotional reaction to the film?
  2. Which moment or scene stayed with you the most?
  3. Did anything surprise or challenge what you thought you already knew about supporting people living with dementia?

Meal times

  1. What examples of positive communication did you notice between carers and residents?
  2. Were there any interactions that you noticed which shaped the mealtime experience?
  3. How did the environment (lighting, noise, table setup) affect the person’s ability to eat well?

Person-centred Care

  1. How did the film portray person-centred approaches to supporting choice, independence or cultural preference?
  2. What might a good experience look like in a mealtime for someone living with dementia?

Barriers, Challenges & Realities

  1. What systemic or practical barriers did the film highlight?
  2. What one small change could realistically be made without additional resources?

Final reflections

  1. What one insight from the film will you take with you?
  2. What questions would you like to explore further with colleagues?

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