The Nutrition & Dietetics Department of Horizons has a team of two Dietitians. They are located within the Children & Families Division and provide support to children and adults accessing Horizons services.
The team provide a high quality care service which maximises nutritional health. They emphasise choice, independence and empowerment for the individual. In doing so, they enable the people we support to achieve their optimal nutritional intake.
Appropriate nutrition for people with intellectual disabilities is especially important where someone is underweight, has delayed growth and development, feeding difficulties, or other health problems including diabetes, overweight, obesity, etc.
If someone wishes to see a dietitian, a referral can be made by the person we support, their family or carers, visiting GPs, nursing staff or other members of the multidisciplinary team. Once a referral has been accepted, the person is assessed, diagnosed and treated for nutrition related problems.
The Dietetics Team typically work with people over the course of a few months, or longer, to support positive changes. They also provide training to staff and families on nutrition, and are members of other specialist teams, such as the Dementia Care Team.
