Making a Difference - Community Food and Health

In the discussion session that followed, the group was asked to consider each of the
following questions in turn.
What has helped you the most in providing good nutrition for older people
• making food look really attractive;
• asking people what food they like and meeting their food preferences;
• care with portion sizes, serving the appropriate amounts of food;
• making sure that food is available when people want to eat, even if this is outwith
normal meal times;
• skill in budgeting, making the most of limited funds;
• having access to fresh food of high quality;
• good staff training, catering with the needs of the individual in mind.
What are the barriers in working to provide good nutrition for older people
• lack of catering staff with the appropriate level of training;
• a shortage of volunteers to help with food service;
• lack of suitable equipment and utensils e.g. to provide pureed food;
• communication failure e.g. where relief staff are not informed about a client’s
special dietary needs; and
• the initial anxieties of new clients who feel everything is changing and uncertain
The third question brought the workshop together and the discussion moved beyond the
short-term aspects of nutrition for older people to the longer-term changes needed for
‘making a difference’.
In an ideal world, what single change would bring most benefit to the nutrition of
older people
• better funding - more money to improve staffing levels and staff training, upgrade
kitchen facilities and improve dining areas;
• better food – more variety, more fresh seasonal foods, being able to cater for
individual tastes and enjoying a little bit of luxury;
• a better understanding of the processes of ageing and how to maintain optimum
health in later life;
• a commitment from the Scottish Government to fully support successful ageing; and
• a change in society’s attitude to growing old, with older people valued more.