Community malnutrition : what can we do ?
There ' s been an extraordinary focus recently on food and nutrition within the aged care setting because of the Royal Commission , which is incredible . We do know , however , that the vast majority of older adults live in the community , and they face many of the same risk factors for malnutrition as hospital patients : health conditions , cognitive and physical decline , appetite changes , food insecurity and social isolation . So , what can we do ? We interviewed dietitian Susan Bloomfield-Stone to find out .
What is your current role and how did you end up in it ?
I went into dietetics knowing I wanted to work in hospitals and help sick people eat and get better . After graduation , I landed a couple of locums in major tertiary hospitals and then came a permanent position . I took a career break to have my kids , and while I had intended to go back to work soon , my plans were really thwarted when one of my kids got very sick .
Susan Bloomfield-Stone is an Accredited Practising Dietitian currently working in the Aged Care and Rehabilitation Malnutrition Intervention Clinic at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney , Australia . She has a wealth of clinical experience across a variety of medical specialty areas and has spent her career working in several different metropolitan tertiary teaching hospitals . Susan has a profound interest in patient and family centered care and is committed to helping her patients achieve their nutrition goals through a combination of evidence-based practices and a nurturing holistic care approach .
© Dietitian Connection 17 Infuse | October 2022