NANA – Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing
| Title | Forname | Surname | Institution | Country |
| Dr | Arlene | Astell | University of St Andrews | UK |
| Mr | Tim | Adlam | Bath Institute of Medical Engineering Ltd. | UK |
| Dr | Faustina | Hwang | University of Reading | UK |
| Dr | Elizabeth | Williams | University of Sheffield | UK |
| Mr | Steve | Wood | Sanctuary Care Ltd | UK |
| Institution | University of St Andrews |
| Street Address | St Mary’s College, South Street |
| City | St Andrews, Fife |
| Postcode | KY16 9JP |
United Kingdom
Medical Research Council
984046.25
01-01-2009
24
- Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
- Neurodegenerative disease in general
Supporting Older People; Nutrition
Background: Current figures suggest that 1 in 4 older people are likely to be malnourished. Malnutrition in older people is closely linked to physical frailty, which is a major factor in the development of disability and dependency in old age. Malnutrition may be due to a range of factors including impaired physical function, such as problems with chewing and swallowing or reduced mobility; mental health factors such as depression or social isolation; and cognitive factors such as dementia or other neurological illnesses. It is difficult to examine the links between diet, physical health, mental health and cognitive factors due to inadequacies and unsuitability of currently available methods of measurement.
Description: The aim of this project is to improve the methods available for collecting nutritional information from older people using advanced technology to overcome the limitations of current pen and paper methods. The second aim is to develop a comprehensive assessment package that integrates nutritional information with information on health status; function in activities of daily living; cognition; and mental health to improve the targeting of interventions. The assessment package must be suitable to monitor events over time so that changes and rates of decline or improvement can be detected. Objective: This is a multi-disciplinary programme involving Psychology, Nutrition, Engineering and Software Engineering. Assessment Toolkit. The objective is to develop an assessment toolkit which uses data collected in an older person’s home and analysis this in order to establish likely causes of malnutrition.