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