Catering
Supporting the elderly to eat and enjoy food together Over the last few years, Food for Life has researched intergenerational activity and support for care settings for the elderly. Here, Florence Todd Fordham shares some of the findings Malnutrition presents a significant health threat to older people and care home residents. In the UK, over one-third of care home residents have been found to be malnourished and require treatment (BAPEN, 2015). This has major impacts on their quality of life, with additional consequences such as social isolation and loneliness. Through the Food for Life Better Care programme we have aimed to positively impact on the lives of older people and care home residents.
work in Edinburgh, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The team used innovative techniques, based on ethnography and co-design, to identify opportunities for change. Food for Life Better Care sought to be both comprehensive – with a whole settings approach to multiple aspects of food – and developmental – to test out and reflect on what worked and what might be enhanced. While each area shared a common overarching framework and What is Food for Life approach towards engaging Better Care? partners, it was anticipated Food for Life Better from the outset that the Overall , Care was a two year team would adapt t h e Food programme to promote the delivery of the for Life Bet good food for older intervention to fit t e r Care activitie people and included a local circumstances. to prom s were linked focus on care homes The programme ising e and intergenerational has consisted of
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networking, training, support, development and delivery for a wide range of care homes. This has included creating opportunities to partner with nurseries and schools, some of which are active in the Food for Life schools and Early Years national programmes. Food for Life Served Here, an accreditation from the Soil Association that awards sustainable and healthy catering, was used as a platform for promoting nutrition, hydration and sustainability standards in care homes. Key goals of the Food for Life Better Care programme were to prevent malnutrition and loneliness, to enhance the wellbeing of people in later life, to build capacity within the care sector around food, and to bring communities together through food. FFLSH and sustainability of food provided A key aspect of Food for Life Better Care was supporting better access to nutritious food. Through our work in other settings, such as
