ENSURE PLUS ADVANCE CASE STUDY: DOREEN
Doreen, a retired mother of two, suffered a serious fall while she was out shopping, which led to her having to spend eight weeks in hospital, recovering from a fractured neck of femur.
MEDICAL AND NUTRITIONAL HISTORY
While Doreen was in hospital being treated for the injuries sustained during the fall, her son became concerned about the amount of weight his vulnerable mother was losing. Prior to the fall, Doreen’s weight was stable at 7st, 3lbs; however, during her first few weeks in hospital, Doreen ate very little, and as a result lost a considerable amount of weight.
“I was in hospital for almost two months and completely lost my appetite. My son told me he was very worried about the amount of weight I was losing,” said Doreen.
NUTRITIONAL TREATMENT
During her stay in hospital, a decision was taken by Doreen’s clinical team that she would benefit from an oral nutritional supplement (ONS) to aid her recovery - Ensure Plus Advance, specifically for patients who have, or are at risk of, malnutrition. Malnutrition leads to muscle loss, which can lead to negative outcomes for patients, such as a longer stay in hospital, an increased risk of being admitted to hospital or having a fall, and a lower quality of life overall.
OUTCOMES
Gradually, as she regained her strength, Doreen slowly started to get her appetite back. Doreen explained what happened, “I was given a nutritional supplement to help me regain the weight I lost. When I left hospital, I was back to eating three very small meals a day; the drink gave me the extra support I needed to help me recover.”
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KEY FINDINGS
Reflecting on her experience, she added: “I just loved the taste and I had no problem finishing the two bottles every day! I've always enjoyed food and I know how important having a well-balanced diet is. Sometimes, people like me who are a little more frail need that extra support and this drink has really helped me to feel stronger and get back to doing the things in life I love. It’s not until you lose the ability to do the small things in life that you realise you take your independence for granted.”
CONCLUSION
After being discharged from hospital, Doreen had to make some adjustments to her lifestyle. Prior to the fall, Doreen enjoyed doing the gardening; she is on the road to becoming more active again.
She told us: “I’m feeling so much stronger since I left hospital. When I first came back home, I had regular carers come to help me with washing myself and cooking, but now I can do it all on my own. Even though I am back to cooking and preparing most of my meals, I sometimes still have some ready meals delivered to support me. I felt so weak when I was discharged from hospital and mainly stayed at home, but I’m slowly back to feeling much more normal. I can now get in and out of bed and I do most of the housework on my own,using a walking stick when I need to. I also get the bus into town every week to go to Bingo!”
Doreen
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