Celebrating Dietitians Week

Following a car accident last November, Peter has made his way through The Alfred’s Trauma System and is now completing his rehabilitation at Caulfield Hospital. 

“When you have a serious accident and your body takes a hit, there’s so many different aspects of recovery to take into account,” Peter said.  

“It turns out food and nutrition is very much a part of that.” 

Though dietitians might not be the first profession that comes to mind at the mention of a hospital, their work is nevertheless crucial.  

Peter’s current dietitian, Hayley, said dietitians have been involved at practically every stage of Peter’s recovery. 

"There is so much stress on the body in the initial stages post-accident that it's common to see weight loss and muscle loss,” Hayley said. 

“Adequate nutrition plays such an important part in recovery, especially over a long hospital admission.” 

As Peter has progressed with his recovery, his nutrition needs have changed too. 

"Because of this, we work closely with Peter and other members of his medical team,” Hayley said. 

Due to the nature of his injuries and the treatments he has undergone, Peter receives his nutrition directly via a tube. At first, his food was given evenly over a 24 hour period, before progressing to being given three times a day. 

“With the help from the nursing team Peter now does his own feeds via his tube,” Hayley said. 

“He has also started eating again so we have been working closely with the Speech Pathology team.” 

Dietitians with specialist skillsets are matched with patients to best help them at their particular stage of recovery. 

“Before I met Peter he had been working with Claire, our Trauma Dietitian, for over four months,” Hayley said.  

"Now that Peter is at Caulfield for rehabilitation, we are working hard to help stabilise his weight, and most importantly, preserve and build his muscles so he can progress with his rehab and get back home.” 

Peter is looking ahead to the next stage of his rehab.  

“My goals are to walk as soon as possible, and in order to do that I need to strengthen my legs,” Peter said.  

“And to help that along, I need the right nutrition.”  

Reflecting on his work with Alfred Health dietitians, Peter said he is grateful for their professionalism and expertise.  

“Dietitians do way more than you might think,” Peter said.   

“It’s not until you have the experiences I’ve had that you begin to understand the depth of knowledge and care that is involved, so I’d like to get the word out: they do a lot.” 

Dietitians week runs from 16-22 June. This year's theme is, "Your health, our mission: talk to a dietitian."