Research team secures funding to reduce dehydration in care homes
A team from the University of West London’s (UWL) Richard Wells Research Centre has been awarded funding for an applied research project to reduce dehydration in local care homes.
Led by Professor Heather Loveday and Dr Jennie Wilson, the group from the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare successfully competed against a number of other funding bids in the North West London area.
Dehydration is a major problem among the elderly in care homes, and can lead to serious health problems and hospitalisation. The project will involve partnership working with care home staff, service users and their carers to ensure residents take on enough fluid.
Dr Jennie Wilson said: “This project will directly benefit elderly residents and their families. We will start by working with carers and staff to understand why residents may not be getting enough fluids. Then we will develop, introduce and evaluate simple ways to increase fluid intake which staff will be able to continue once the research has concluded.”
The funding for the 18 month project is from the National Institute of Health Research’s North West London Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR NWL CLAHRC). The project will be undertaken in partnership with Central London, West London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow and Ealing Clinical Commissioning Groups Collaborative (CWHHE CCG).
Sue Pascoe, Deputy Director for Quality, Nursing and Safeguarding at the CWHHE CCGs, said: “This research project will use a planned approach targeting those at risk. This will improve the quality of life for residents by reducing occurrences of adverse health effects associated with dehydration that increase hospital admissions, treatment costs and mortality.”
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