Changes in older adults' eating and drinking habits on outpatient clinic visit days

Worsfold, Sarah and Armstrong, Anna (2024) Changes in older adults' eating and drinking habits on outpatient clinic visit days. British Cochlear Implant Group Conference, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, United Kingdom. 29 Apr - 01 May 2024.

Abstract

Aim: to gain an understanding of how/if older adults’ eating and drinking patterns changed when they visited the University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service (USAIS) outpatient clinic, and if factors such as age and gender had an effect.

Micronutrient intake, blood glucose and myriad other factors influence auditory signalling and processing. It is vital that CI users maintain good cognitive performance to get accurate results when listening with the implants, hence the importance of adequate nutrition and hydration.

Older adults can be vulnerable to malnutrition and dehydration (1, 2, 3) and occasions that alter an individual’s behaviour around meals, medications and access to toilets are likely to adversely impact their food and fluid intake. Attending outpatient services could be considered one of these occasions as CI users often travel long distances and have two or more appointments in a day, generally staying for 2-4 hours.

Method: as part of a wider-ranging review of our service to older adults, a paper questionnaire was given to 58 consecutively appointed patients (46% males) aged 75 years or over who had appointments in USAIS over a 5-week period. They were recruited in the waiting room before their appointment and filled out the questionnaire at the time or afterwards. The first author (AA) was available to answer questions. Participants were identified from the USAIS database and data about their age, gender and other factors were collected.

Results: 37 questionnaires (63.8%) were returned and analysed. There was no change to breakfast habit on visit days but 25% altered their lunch habit. The biggest difference between clinic day intake and normal intake was the number of drinks, with 41.7% reporting a change. Links between this change and factors such as age and gender were not found to be statistically significant. At the point of questionnaire completion, most participants had not eaten for 3-4 hours or drunk for 1-2 hours.

Conclusions: the results show that it is common for patients to alter their eating and drinking habits when they attend USAIS outpatient clinics.

Nutrition and hydration should be more widely considered as important in clinic settings.

If possible, improve access to appealing food and drink.

Improve signage to nearest food outlets.

Emphasise the importance of eating, drinking and resting after a long day away from home.

This service evaluation provides valuable insight into an under-researched patient group and setting.

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