Nutrition Courses That Community Care Professionals Would Benefit From

You might know that chronic diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and hypertension are among the  major health issues of concern in Singapore, but did you know that malnutrition is also a significant problem?

In Singapore’s community settings, it was found that up to 32% of the population has malnutrition. Seniors form a substantial portion of this population, as evident in a 2015-2016 study conducted by the National Healthcare Group, which found that 14% of older adults in central Singapore were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Seniors who are malnourished are at greater risk of infections, problems with strength and mobility, and may take a longer time to recover due to reduced immunity.

It is important to address these health issues early as chronic diseases are leading risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and are main contributors to Singapore’s combined burden of early death and disability, while malnutrition is associated with greater morbidity, mortality and higher healthcare costs. Asides from medical care , timely and appropriate nutrition care is integral in the optimal management and prevention of many health conditions.

Therefore, as one of the AIC-appointed Learning Institutes, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) aims to support and upskill the Community Care workforce to enhance the quality of nutrition care provision in the community through a suite of nutrition care courses.

These courses focuses on prevention and management of malnutrition in various community settings including the community setting where the vulnerable population can be at higher nutrition risks. Additionally, there is also a course on basic nutrition care and knowledge to manage chronic diseases highly prevalent in today’s society, through healthy eating and weight management strategies.

Here’s a list of TTSH courses that you can attend to learn more about nutrition care in the community.

Prevention & Management of Malnutrition in the Community ($300, 8 Hours)

This course aims to equip participants with basic knowledge and skills to identify malnutrition risks through nutrition screening, understand the nutrition needs and provide basic nutrition advice and interventions.

Nutrition Considerations in Home Enteral Nutrition ($300, 8 Hours)

This is an introductory course on enteral nutrition specially designed for healthcare providers who are actively involved in managing enteral tube feeding. It aims to equip learners with basic understanding on the indications for enteral tube feeding, types and selection of enteral formula, identification of enteral tube feeding complications and troubleshooting, and nutrition considerations in transitional feeding.

Approaches to Optimise Nutrition Care for Adults in Intermediate and Long Term Care (ILTC) Facilities ($300, 8 Hours)

Nurses and allied health professionals would benefit from this course, as you will be able to learn the importance of good nutrition, factors influencing nutrition intake, nutrition screening and strategies to improve clients’ nutrition in Community Care settings.

Basic Nutrition Care ($300, 8 Hours)

This course equips support staff with knowledge and skills to identify residents at risk of poor nutrition and provide basic nutritional interventions to improve residents’ nutrition in Community Care settings.

Nutrition Management for Chronic Diseases ($300, 8 Hours)

At the end of this course, participants will be equipped with basic knowledge of nutrition management for chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension.

Since the introduction of the TTSH nutrition courses in March 2021, 46 Community Care staff have been trained in over three workshops. To adapt to the ever-changing safety measures due to the pandemic, TTSH leveraged on technology to deliver a range of teaching modalities, to ensure participants were highly engaged through interactive learning activities such as role play, case studies as well as group discussions.

Here are some the feedback gathered from the participants:

• "The discussions and role play let us apply the information learnt for better understanding."
• "Well-explained and a lot of examples. Easy to understand."
• "Trainer was extremely patient and was very good with trainees with different backgrounds."
• "I have better understanding on how to prevent and manage malnutrition in the community."
• "I will use reflective listening when discussing with my patients."
• "With the knowledge, we can assist diabetic clients to maintain good blood sugar level."

TTSH hopes to continually improve on the design and delivery of these courses to ensure that the participants’ needs are met and to be well-aligned with the common goals of enabling the population to live well and access appropriate care to achieve best care outcomes through transformation of the care community.

Visit the AIC’s Learning Network Course Marketplace website for the complete list of courses available from TTSH. Under the “All Learning Institutes” drop-down list, select “Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)”.