the migrant care workers newsletter 10 november 2010
TRANSCRIPT
dalk, are designed to addressthese important issues.
Diet and nutrition in later life
Good nutrition is one of the
major determinants of suc-
cessful ageing and has impor-
tant implication for quality of
life for older people. Re-
search suggests that older
people who eat a healthy diet
have a greater chance of in-
creased or maintained levels
of functional ability, reduced
risk of chronic diseases such
as heart disease and diabetes
and an improved sense of
The need for care work
Principle dietary guidelines for healthy older people
The demand for care workersin developed countries, suchas Ireland, is going to increasein the coming decades due tothe twin challenges of popula-tion ageing and decliningnumbers of informal familycarers. Currently 11% of thetotal population in Ireland isaged over 65 years, but this isexpected to increase to 25%by 2040 with the greatest in-crease in the very old—thoseaged over 80 years (CentralStatistics Office, CSO 2008).
At the same time, the avail-ability of informal carers par-ticularly adult children of dis-abled older people, may de-cline in future as more womencontinue to enter the labourmarket (Wittenburg et al.,2005).
The contribution of foreigncare workers will continue toplay an important role in meet-
ing the care needs of olderpeople in Ireland. Accordingto findings from a regionalsurvey with care workers, mi-grants comprise approxi-mately 17 percent of the paidcare workers for older peoplein County Louth (Carragher &O’Connor, 2010).
The Netwell Centre in DundalkInstitute of Technology hasmoved to explore the experi-ences of migrant care workersand the supports they identifyas necessary to enable themto care for older people from adifferent cultural background.
A previous workshop with careworkers highlighted the needfor more support around theissues of diet and nutrition.This newsletter and the foodpreparation seminar sched-uled for 10th November (7-9pm) in O’Fiaich College, Dun-
should be eaten daily.
Fortified milk should beconsumed by all olderpeople unless otherwiserecommended.
At least eight cups/glassesof fluids should be drunkeach day.
The National Food SafetyAuthority of Ireland (2000)provide dietary guidelines forhealthy ageing. Some of theprinciple dietary guidelinesrecommended for older peo-ple include:
A wide variety of foods,including those with high
nutrient density should beeaten regularly.
An adequate intake of highfibre foods and fluids shouldbe maintained.
Meat, poultry and fishshould be eaten regularly.Dairy foods such as cheese
Spec ia l focus on mig r an t ca r e wor ke r s
Issue 2November 2010
Simon Cooper/Organization, 2010
Special points of interest:
Among the most common
chronic diseases suffered
by older people are those
directly linked to
inappropriate diet and
unhealthy lifestyles.
Inadequate intake of some
important vitamins and
minerals are liable to occur
in older people who have
more limited diets.
Reduced vitamin and
mineral intake can cause
nutritional diseases or
disorders such as anaemic
and non-anaemic iron
deficiency and
osteomalacia due to
Vitamin D deficiency (Food
Safety Authority, 2000)
For further information, contact:
Lucia Carragher Tel: 042
9370400
Email: [email protected]
To speak to our Cúltaca for
older people, contact:
Ann Marron Tel: 042 9370501
Email: [email protected] or
Pat Kerins Tel: 0429370531
Email: [email protected]
Previous Workshop
Our workshop in November 2009 provided
the opportunity for care workers from dif-
ferent cultural backgrounds to highlight
their experiences of working with older
people in the home.
For further information or if you have any
queries regarding our workshops, contact:
Lucia Carragher Tel: 042 9370400 ext:
2677 Email: [email protected]
References
Carragher, L., and O’Connor, L. (2010). The Care Worker’s Sur-vey, Dundalk: The Netwell Centre.
Central Statistic Office (2008). Ageing in Ireland, Dublin: CentralStatistics Office.
Food Safety Authority (2000) Recommendations for a nationalfood and nutrition policy for older people, Dublin: Food SafetyAuthority of Ireland.
Simon Cooper/Organization (2010). The nutrition of elderly peo-ple, Communitycare.co.uk [online] http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/09/02/115176/a-watchful-eye-on-malnutrition.htm [accessed 28 Oct. 2010]
Stanner, S (2002). A healthy diet for older people, Nursing &Residential Care 4 (9): 428 - 433
Wittenburg, R., L. Pickard, J. Malley, D. King, A. Comas-Herreraand R. Darton (2008) Future demand for social care, 2005 to2041: Projections of demand for social care for older people inEngland. PSSRU Discussion Paper 2517: Report to the StrategyUnit (Cabinet Office) and the Department of Health. London:
RDC, Dundalk Institute of Technology
Dublin Road
Dundalk
Phone: ++353 429370400 ext: 2677
Fax: ++353 429331163
E-mail: [email protected]
Spec ia l fo cus on mig ran tca r e wor ke r s
Transforming Communities, Environmentsand Technologies for ageing-in-place
We’re on the Web!
http://netwellcentre.
org/
Reach out to support ethnic diversity (Respect) , a project sup-ported by the European Union's Peace III Programme as awardedby Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership