Called ‘Prevention and Early Intervention of Malnutrition in Later Life (best practice principles and implementation guide)’, it has been jointly produced by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and the Malnutrition Task Force (MTF).
It sets out and defines the principles of best practice, the moral, legal, quality and financial case for changes in tackling malnutrition in people in later life in the UK.
The guide goes a step further and presents real practical advice and support for health care, social care and care provided by voluntary organisations to deliver the changes needed to combat the current levels of malnutrition in the UK.
Helen Davidson, chairman of the BDA, said: “For far too long, malnutrition and dehydration has been thought of as a third world problem.
“The reality is, malnutrition and dehydration is a very big problem here in the UK. The BDA’s recent Mind the Hunger Gap campaign highlighted that on any given day malnutrition and dehydration blight the lives of around one million older people in their own homes.
“What is unique about this new guide is, it doesn’t just present the problem, it also sets out some of the solutions needed to address it and make life so much better for so many people.
“It also identifies the tens of millions of pounds that tackling malnutrition could save.”
Dianne Jeffrey, chairman of MTF, added: "One in 10 older people are malnourished and 93% of them are in the community. This is where it starts for many people, so we must make every effort to improve prevention and early detection of malnutrition.
“There are many different causes and factors that contribute to malnutrition and addressing them requires the concerted effort of all stakeholders.
“Together we can combat preventable malnutrition effectively and thus improve the health of older people, maintain their independence and save money for the local health economy too."