Master class Geriatric Nutrition: diet, functionality and disease 26-29 April 2004 Wageningen, The Netherlands organised by the Graduate School VLAG |
Background
The process of ageing varies between individuals but also within an individual between different tissues and organs. This leads to a great heterogeneity in health within the older population. On the one hand genetics, age and sex affect the ageing process. These are factors hardly to be influenced. On the other hand factors, which can be influenced such as environment and lifestyle, have shown to be of great importance for the prevention of disease and subsequently the ageing process. Nutrition is one of the lifestyle factors, which at higher age is still important in health and disease. However, the importance of nutrition often seems to be ignored in the care for elderly people. Recent papers highlight the high prevalence of malnutrition in older adults. Depending on how malnutrition is defined, its prevalence is as high as 30 to 40% of older patients living in institutions and hospitals. This proportion might also be as high as up to 10% in independently living elderly people getting home care. Malnutrition will lead to impairment of functioning and to disability and ultimately affects morbidity and mortality. This course will focus on causes and consequences of malnutrition in old age and possibilities for intervention. Functionality and quality of life will be considered as important outcome measures and therefore obtain ample attention.
Target group
The course is at postgraduate level and aims to attract nutritionists, physicians and other scientists’, interested in nutritional health of elderly people. The course may be of specific use for PhD students working in this field.
Course design
The master class will start on Monday (26th April) in the late afternoon with an introductory lecture on the biology of ageing and a welcome reception. The next day the course will start with lectures on nutrition and functionality, including energy balance, bone health, immunity and cognition. In the afternoon group sessions and a practical class will take place on the methodology of screening for malnutrition, assessment of diet, body composition, functioning and quality of life (QoL). The results of the practical class will be discussed in the context of a paper on this topic, which has been studied by the participants prior to the course.
The third day starts with Anorexia of ageing, determinants and stimulation of appetite will be discussed. Lunch will be devoted to functional foods and their meaning for nutritional care in the elderly. In the afternoon an excursion to UMC-Nijmegen will be organised where nutrition of geriatric patients, multi-disciplinary dietary guidelines, cognitive disorders, dysphagia and ethical aspects of tube feeding will get the attention. Participants will be encouraged to bring results of their own work to be presented as a poster.
The last day of the course (Thursday, 29th of April) participants join a symposium organised on the occasion of the retirement of Professor Wija van Staveren. Topics for this symposium are a.o. dietary patterns in older Europeans and their relationship with morbidity and mortality, obesity in old age, vitamins and bone health, B-vitamins and cognition, clinical and behavioural aspects of malnutrition.
Provisional programme
Course coordinators
Financial support of the Dutch Dairy Association (NZO) for the annual NZO-VLAG visiting professorship is gratefully acknowledged. In 2004 this visiting professor is Prof. J. Morley from Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, USA.
Other faculty
Date & duration
The course will be held from 26 April (start 16.30 hrs) - 29 April 2004. The last day of the course (April 29th) includes the symposium: "Add life to years in old age - Nutrition matters".
Study load
The study load of this course is 1.2 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Location & accommodation
Lectures will be given at the Conference Centre ‘De Wageningse Berg’. The conference centre
can be reached by train (railway station Ede-Wageningen) and bus/taxi in less than two hours
from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (see for train schedules: www.ns.nl).
The last day of the course, the symposium, will be held at the Wageningen International
Conference Centre (WICC).
Accommodation is available at the Conference Centre the Wageningse Berg, cost of bed/breakfast
€ 62,50 per day (single room).
Contact information
For more information please contact the course coordinators through
The Graduate School VLAG
P.O. Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
Phone + 31.317.486108, Telefax: +31.317.483342
E-mail: Ingeborg.vanLeeuwen-Bol@wur.nl
The registration form must be returned before March 26th, 2004. The number of participants is
limited to 30. Participants will be notified on acceptance of their registration before April 5th
and will receive instructions for payment.
The course fee is € 500 (including lunches/tea/coffee and 2 dinners (Monday 26th and
Tuesday 27th April) and admission the symposium of April 29th). PhD-students not affiliated
to the Graduate School VLAG will be charged € 300. Cancellation may be made free of charge
until March 26th, 2004. After this date the charge will be 25% of the fee paid or due.
Substitutions may be made at any time.
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