REFRESH Study: Improving Nutritional Care in Care Homes
Could your care home help shape the future of nutritional care for older people?
The REFRESH study is a national research study investigating how best to treat malnutrition in older adults aged 65 and over living in care homes.
Led by researchers at the University of Plymouth and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the study aims to recruit 90 care homes and approximately 1,530 residents to compare different approaches to nutritional care.
Hampshire Care Association is sharing this opportunity with local care providers to help raise awareness and encourage participation in research that could improve care for older people.
About the study
Malnutrition can have a significant impact on older people's health, wellbeing and quality of life. However, there is limited evidence about which approaches are most effective for treating malnutrition in care home settings.
REFRESH will compare three approaches to nutritional care:
- Oral nutritional supplements (ONS): Eligible residents receive oral nutritional supplements alongside their usual diet.
- Fortified food and drink: Eligible residents receive food and drinks enriched with additional nutrients.
- Usual care: Care homes continue their existing approach to managing malnutrition.
Each participating care home will be randomly allocated to one of these three groups. Researchers will collect information at the start of the study, and again at six and 12 months, to understand the impact of each approach.
The findings will help build evidence about how nutritional care can best support older people living in care homes.
Why should your care home take part?
Taking part offers care homes an opportunity to contribute to important national research while receiving support throughout the process.
Participating homes can benefit from:
- Staff training and support to help implement the study.
- Reimbursement for study-related costs, including nutritional supplements, ingredients for fortified food and staff time spent on the study.
- A renewed focus on nutritional care, helping teams reflect on how they support residents at risk of malnutrition.
- The opportunity to contribute to research that could inform future practice and guidance.
The research team will work with participating care homes to help establish the study, provide training and support data collection.
Which care homes can take part?
The study is looking for care homes with permanent residents aged 65 and over who may be at risk of malnutrition. Residents living with dementia may also be eligible.
Care homes must have the permission of the care home owner to participate.
Individual residents will need to meet the study's eligibility criteria, which will be assessed by the research team. Expressing an interest does not commit a care home or its residents to taking part.
Interested in getting involved?
If your care home would like to find out more about the REFRESH study, the research team would be pleased to hear from you.
You can also visit the NIHR funding award page to learn more about the research.
By taking part, your care home could help researchers develop a stronger evidence base for nutritional care and contribute to improving the lives of older people living in care homes.
