Hi Elisabeth, can you tell us a bit about your company and what you focus on in the healthcare sector?
Nutricia is a company that provides products used in medical nutrition therapy. A little simplified, medical nutrition therapy is used as a support when the nutrition you get from food is not enough. It can, for example, be about nutritional needs that arise from disease-related malnutrition or where a certain disease entails specific needs that are difficult to satisfy through ordinary food.
Can you give a brief introduction of yourself and your role in the company?
I have been working as Medical Affairs Manager at Nutricia Danone for eight years now. As Medical Affairs Manager, I work with knowledge transfer about evidence-based medical nutritional treatment in various disease areas, often in collaboration with the health and medical services. I have a background as a licensed dietitian and have previously worked as a dietitian in, among other things, cancer care and municipal care for the elderly in relation to systematic improvement work around food and meals for frail elderly people.
What type of competition entries would you like to see this year? Why would those kinds of ideas be of importance to the elderly and/or dementia care?
Up to a tenth of all elderly people in Sweden are estimated to be malnourished, and the proportion is even greater among those who are cared for in nursing homes or hospitals. Malnutrition among the elderly is often an overlooked problem that can have further consequences in the form of a weakened immune system and increased risk of complications in e.g. fractures and during surgery. I would therefore like to see a competition entry that focuses on malnutrition among the elderly, as you can often reverse a negative development with simple routines and measures.
What motivated you to get involved in the Queen Silvia Nursing Award and how do you see the significance of this collaboration?
Nurses and assistant nurses play an incredibly important role in elderly and dementia care. As a partner, being able to contribute to the recognition of their important work, as well as encouraging more innovative ideas in elderly care, is extremely important.
Why do you think the municipalities should take the chance to nominate a nurse or assistant nurse for the Queen Silvia Nursing Award or why ssk/usk/students should apply for the competition themselves?
Both elderly care and dementia care will play an increasingly important role in the future as we live longer and longer. All initiatives, innovations and ideas that can lead to better care and quality of life at the end of life deserve attention - and inspire others to innovate.
What message would you like to give to those who themselves send in their competition contribution and to the municipalities that nominate this year?
That it is fantastic to see the commitment that exists and the willingness to be innovative in order to provide the best possible care for our elderly and people affected by dementia. It is incredibly inspiring for us to be able to take part in all the different contributions that have been nominated and make important contributions to these people. A great opportunity to draw attention to significant initiatives that can spur more municipalities to follow suit.
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