Good nutrition and hydration are absolutely essential for both physical and mental wellbeing – they help prevent illness, speed up recovery and enable those we care for to thrive. Is your nutrition and hydration knowledge up to date? This week provides the perfect excuse to check.
To mark Nutrition & Hydration Week, we’ve shared six free courses to help you build skills and confidence when it comes to fluids and nutrition.
What is Nutrition & Hydration Week?
Nutrition & Hydration Week is an annual event highlighting the value and importance of food and drink in maintaining health and wellbeing in the health and social care sector.
Nutrition & Hydration Week 2025 takes place on 17-23 March, under the theme ‘Making a difference every day’.
And as a care professional you have the opportunity to do just that, with a little help from FuturU.
6 Courses for Nutrition & Hydration Week
Fluids & Nutrition
Get a detailed overview of essential nutrients and their functions, the significance of adequate fluid intake, the risks of poor nutrition and dehydration, and how you can create individualised care plans.
This 45-minute course covers:
- Why nutrition and hydration is so important
- How to identify signs of poor nutrition and dehydration
- Food safety and hygiene
- How to tailor plans to individual needs, respecting and accommodating a range of dietary requirements
- Supporting individuals to have access to food, and how to encourage them to eat.
An introduction to Mealtime Assistance
Get to grips with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently assist individuals at mealtimes, and make eating safe, dignified and enjoyable.
This 70-minute course covers:
- The nutritional, social and emotional significance of mealtimes
- The swallowing process, and common eating and swallowing difficulties
- The role of nutrition and modified diets
- Why texture and thickening agents matter
- Techniques you can use to assist individuals safely
- Basic food hygiene practices, and what to do in a choking emergency.
Take our free An Introduction to Mealtime Assistance course.
Food Hygiene in Care
This comprehensive course will enable you to handle food confidently, complying with food regulations and protecting vulnerable individuals from foodborne illnesses.
This 50-minute course covers:
- The fundamentals of food hygiene, including legal requirements
- How to prevent cross-contamination
- Personal hygiene and cleanliness
- Essential food handling processes, covering storing, preparing and cooking food
- Handling food allergens and accommodating dietary needs.
Enteral Feeding (PEG)
Covering the digestive system, types of feeding tubes and feeding methods, this 60-minute course will help you support individuals who are unable to process food in the regular way.
This course covers:
- The reasons for enteral feeding, and the different types of feeding tubes
- The anatomy and physiology of the digestive system
- Techniques for using, cleaning and adjusting feeding tubes, and how to give medication though them
- Common complications of enteral feeding, and how to address these.
Stoma Care
Learn how you can provide compassionate stoma care, helping individuals maintain wellbeing and live fulfilling lives after this significant life change.
This 45-minute course covers:
- Different types of stomas, their functions, and why they’re needed
- How to change a stoma bag, and address common issues
- The importance of diet in managing stomas, and guidance on suitable food choices
- Infection control, privacy and dignity in stoma care.
Dysphagia
This course provides an introduction to dysphagia, the medical term for swallowing difficulties, covering the science of swallowing and effective strategies for managing dysphagia.
This 30-minute course covers:
- Dysphagia basics, including its causes and the factors that contribute to swallowing difficulties
- Anatomy and physiology of the swallowing process
- Identifying the signs and symptoms of dysphagia
- Effective strategies for managing dysphagia, like positioning, therapeutic interventions and dietary modifications
- The importance of nutrition and hydration for individuals with dysphagia.
Please note, this is an introductory course – if you’re supporting individuals with swallowing difficulties it’s likely you’ll need additional training before carrying out tasks.
Start learning for free with FuturU
Access these six courses, plus over 100 others, via the FuturU app.
From core competencies to specialised skills, we have courses for experienced healthcare professionals as well as those just starting out.
