Dietitians in the south-east have received funding from the HSE’s Spark Innovation Programme to produce short education videos on key nutrition topics for ageing well. The Spark Innovation Programme is a frontline, staff-led initiative that promotes, supports, and recognises innovation amongst healthcare staff.
The successful proposal made to Spark was made by Clinical Specialist Dietitian Lorna King and Senior Dietitians Emma Grant and Aideen McGuinness, who are working with respective HSE Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP) teams in South Tipperary, Waterford, and Wexford, and specialise in nutrition for the older person.
Focus groups with older people and surveys from healthcare professionals identified that timely access to information was important for the older person, and that healthcare professionals wanted to have evidence-based, practical resources that they could provide.
The project explored if first-line nutrition information in short video format could work in combination with the more standard approach (eg, information booklets), and improve communication to both older person and healthcare professionals on key nutrition topics that support healthy ageing.
Ms King, Ms Grant, and Ms McGuinness said their goal was that these videos would serve as an “initial step” in addressing nutrition concerns of the older person. They also emphasised that the information in the videos was not only evidence-based, but also easily accessible, understandable, and practical.
The two videos that have been produced to date are ‘Sarcopenia and Nutrition’ and ‘Malnutrition and the Older Person’. Each video is professionally designed, could be used in one-to-one appointments, group sessions, or given to a family member. The videos could also be looked at whilst in a waiting area prior to attending an appointment, be utilised by the HSE’s ICPOP locally, and by service users and their families/carers.
The videos are available on the YouTube channel called ‘Nutrition for Ageing Well’, which can be accessed at: www.youtube.com/@Nutritionforageingwell.
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