Korian commits once again to Undernutrition Week
Alongside the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, Korian is once again a partner of the National Undernutrition Week, which takes place from 12 to 20 November 2021 throughout France.
Undernutrition is a widespread phenomenon in France. In order to fight against this disease, which affects 2 million French people every year, including 270,000 in EHPAD and 400,000 at home, in particular hospitalised people, frail elderly people and now patients affected by Covid-19, Korian is mobilising throughout the year by carrying out numerous awareness-raising and prevention actions in all of its care and health establishments.
To support our institutions in improving good practice in nutritional care
Every day we are committed to the fight against undernutrition through the initiatives of the national KORIAN Food and Nutrition Liaison Committee (CLAN).
Led by the French Medical Department in conjunction with the Hotel and Catering Department, this committee is made up of professionals from the support functions and professionals in the field from the health and medico-social sector, and its aim is to support all our establishments in improving good practice in nutritional care.
Among other things, it draws up procedures based on recommendations from the health authorities, guides and participates in events such as the week to combat undernutrition by providing professional expertise.
At the level of the establishments, the care team has a key role in preventing undernutrition:
As soon as residents and patients are admitted, a screening for nutritional disorders is carried out by taking their weight, assessing their food intake and performing blood tests. Based on this initial assessment, care is taken by adapting the type of food and the texture of the food.
The initial assessment will also look at :
• The life history of the resident/patient and his/her eating habits in order to build the personalised project
• The oral condition of the resident/patient in order to identify chewing disorders or pathologies that may reduce the appetite of the resident/patient.
• Swallowing to identify the risks of false routes requiring the adaptation of food texture.
• The autonomy of the resident/patient in taking meals in order to propose human assistance but also the most suitable presentation of the meal (gourmet bites)
• The consumption of medication, in order to identify certain medications that are inappropriate for the elderly person and that can also reduce appetite.
Throughout the stay, the nursing team has a key role to play in monitoring nutritional status by regularly measuring weight, monitoring food intake and adapting care to the needs of each patient/resident while combining care with the pleasure of eating.
Physical activity as a means of preventing undernutrition
We fight against malnutrition through adapted physical activity. Thus, we have designed a specific activity programme for undernourished people.
Physical activity is one of the main ways of preventing the onset of nutritional disorders by combating sarcopenia in order to prevent the onset or aggravation of dependency. Feeding an undernourished person is not enough if we do not stimulate the muscle.
The Mutualité Française, which has been involved in the first edition of Undernutrition Week, thanks to its network of 2,800 establishments (health establishments, health centres, nursing homes, establishments for people with disabilities, etc.), will, like last year, propose numerous awareness-raising actions (more than a hundred actions carried out during the 2020 edition).
Food service and entertainment to promote nutrition
In order to counteract malnutrition among the elderly, we regularly organise cooking workshops with our local partners and "gourmet escapades" in our establishments to give residents the desire to eat, to try out tastes, and to rediscover the flavours of authentic products for a better nutritional quality.
• Providing fresh products, from short circuits such as those offered by the Fermes de Gally orchards, means helping residents rediscover the taste and pleasure of "cooking at home" and "the pleasure of doing things together", of "feeling useful to each other, by peeling fruit and vegetables and preparing a meal together". It is also an exercise in dexterity and motor skills for those with neurological disorders.
• The "Escales Gourmandes" is a cultural programme initiated by our teams which offers residents and their families the opportunity to share convivial moments around two pleasure levers: catering and entertainment. On the menu, the residents discover a country through the tasting of culinary specialities and an animation around an emblematic dance.
• These workshops are an opportunity to promote nutrition.
Les “Enrobés Gourmands”, an innovation to restore the pleasure and desire to eat for residents and patients suffering from swallowing disorders
In this national week of undernutrition, the Korian Hospitality and Catering Department is launching "Enrobés Gourmands", a new culinary experience aimed at restoring the pleasure and desire to eat to its residents suffering from undernutrition.
This alternative to chopped and/or mixed dishes offers food cut into small pieces, making it easier to chew while preserving its flavour for the residents' renewed autonomy. This innovation is intended to be deployed in 30 retirement homes and 10 clinics in the Korian network by spring 2022, for which the chefs are trained in the technique at the Lenôtre school.
"This approach represents a real shift in the way we approach food for the elderly or frail, based on sensory pleasures. Recognising the products and recipes encourages our patients and residents to eat their meals. It is also the possibility of rediscovering the original taste of food. This new approach stimulates memory and cognitive faculties, limiting behavioural problems," emphasises Fabien Crozat, Director of Hotel & Catering France at Korian.