1 in 10 people over the age of 65 is malnourished or at risk of malnourishment a recent literature review looking at ways to ensure older people eat well tells us…
This is morally wrong and a practical issue for the NHS and Local Authorities; as malnutrition and undernutrition are significant risk factors for increasing vulnerability and reduced independence, leading to higher NHS and social care costs.
There are many factors that influence older peoples’ ability to eat well including:
- affordability
- access to shops
- decreasing mobility
- lack of cooking skills
The Older People Eat Well report identifies projects and initiatives that can address these issues:
- community gardening
- casserole clubs
- assisted shopping services
- cookery classes
- food co-op’s
- lunch clubs and community café’s
- internet training for older people to enable them to shop online
The ‘Men in Sheds’ project is particularly appealing as it responds to the fact that men are less likely to engage with services, prefering interest based clubs.
The Older People Eat Well literature review was funded by the Scottish Government and the Joint Improvement Team as part of the ‘Stitch in Time?’ programme.