A
landmark
study
aimed
at
improving
the
food
intake,
health
and
quality
of
life
of
older
adults
in
long-term
care
homes
is
among
three
projects
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
receiving
close
to
$1.5
million
in
grants
from
the
Canadian
Institutes
of
Health
Research
(CIHR).
Professor
Heather
Keller,
of
the
Department
of
Kinesiology,
and
a
Schlegel
research
chair
in
nutrition
and
aging,
will
receive
$979,000
over
two
years
to
investigate
why
many
Canadians
living
in
long-term
care
homes
are
poorly
nourished.
The
project
marks
the
first
research
into
factors
impacting
food
intake
in
long-term
care
settings.
“We
know
that
food
intake
in
long-term
care
tends
to
be
poor,
and
that
residents
have
poor
nutrition
as
a
result.
But
what
we
don’t
know
is
why,”
said
Professor
Keller.
“Is
the
food
unappealing?
Is
the
setting
institutional?
Are
residents
having
physical
trouble
eating?”
To
conduct
the
complex
study,
teams
of
researchers
will
monitor
the
food
intake
patterns
of
800
randomly
selected
residents
in
32
long-term
care
homes
located
in
four
different
provinces.
The
pioneering
project
will
evaluate
how
factors
like
meal
quality,
food
access
and
mealtime
experience
impact
food
consumption.
“It’s
not
just
one
thing
impacting
food
intake.
If
we
can
understand
broadly
what
is
happening,
what
are
the
big
deterrents
to
food
intake,
we
can
successfully
intervene
on
a
large
scale,”
said
Professor
Keller.
“Poor
food
intake
is
both
preventable
and
treatable.”
The
study’s
findings
are
expected
to
help
optimize
health-care
practices
and
enhance
the
quality
of
life
of
Canada’s
aging
population.
Two
other
Waterloo
researchers
are
recipients
of
CIHR
grants.
Professor
Colleen
Maxwell,
of
the
School
of
Pharmacy
and
cross-appointed
with
the
School
of
Public
Health
and
Health
Systems,
is
investigating
frailty,
medication
use
and
related
health
outcomes
for
older
adults
receiving
home
care
and
long-term
care
services
across
Ontario.
The
grant
will
fund
a
project
to
help
develop
measures
to
predict
those
most
at
risk
for
sub-optimal
medication
use
and
poor
health
outcomes.
Professor
Suzanne
Tyas,
of
the
School
of
Public
Health
and
Health
Systems,
will
investigate
the
impact
of
early-life
factors
such
as
education,
academic
performance,
linguistic
ability
and
genetics
on
cognitive
resilience.
The
findings
will
inform
public
health
interventions
and
public
policy
targeted
in
early
life
to
maximize
cognitive
health
throughout
the
lifespan.
Thursday, August 21, 2014