Healthy advice on offer during week-long campaign (From Ilkley Gazette)

Healthy advice on offer during week-long campaign

6:00pm Sunday 17th March 2013 in Local news

Airedale Hospital will be raising awareness of the importance of nutrition and hydration during a week-long campaign this month.
Staff at the hospital are supporting the second national nutrition and hydration week, organised by Patient Safety First, between March 18 and March 22, with a series of events for staff and carers.
Different themes have been chosen for each day starting on Monday with ‘food first’. This aims to explain to staff and relatives how they can boost peoples’ calorie intake by highlighting a range of different snacks and drinks with high calorie content.
The dietetics team will be running an information stand in the hospital’s restaurant and will be available to talk to staff and carers about a range of different topics including swallowing and different textures of food; nutritional supplements and special drinks; and tube feeding. 
Rob Dearden, director of nursing at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, says: “Ensuring good nutrition and hydration is a fundamental part of caring for our patients properly.
“Poor nutrition and hydration leads to poor health and increased and prolonged hospital admissions, as patients are more likely to be at risk of infection, have delayed wound healing and decreased muscle strength.”