BSMS > Research > Primary care and public health > Marginalised and Coastal Community Health > Supporting the food and drink-related quality of life of older adults living at home

Supporting the food and drink-related quality of life of older adults living at home

This study is about how we can make sure that older people who use homecare services eat and drink well. We want to understand how the food and drink needs of older adults who use homecare are identified, assessed, included in care plans and supported in practice.

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About the project

We will focus on the following three main objectives:

to investigate how food/drink needs are defined in national guidance, and local statutory assessment and care plan templates;
to understand experiences of homecare support for food/drink QoL needs from service users, unpaid carers, social workers and other professionals conducting care needs assessment, homecare workers/managers;
to co-develop actionable recommendations with services users, unpaid carers, homecare and social workers, commissioners and managers to improve homecare support for food/drink needs-related QoL.

Why older adults

Older adults (65+) living at home are at increased risk of malnutrition and dehydration due to multiple and complex factors. These include health conditions (e.g. multimorbidity), psychosocial factors (e.g. social isolation), economic and environmental factors (e.g. income, transport). Unmet food and drink needs contribute to deterioration of overall Quality of Life (QoL) for older people and their family carers alike. This is particularly concerning for those who live alone and/or on low incomes.

Service users, family carers, and care providers involved in developing this study identified unmet food and drink needs as a main but often hidden challenge to older people's quality of life, with knock-on effects on their physical and mental health, independence, and social connection. They also identified issues with the current provision of support respectful of personal, cultural, and religious preferences.

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Why Homecare and Quality of Life?

Supporting the food and drink needs of older adults living at home is vital and complex. Homecare, which involves personalised support at home, is a pivotal service to support older adults to meet their food and drink needs and live at home, addressing both nutritional needs and Quality of Life through a person-centred approach. This includes support with maintaining adequate nutrition and hydration, respecting an individual’s personal and sociocultural preferences, autonomy, and dignity, and following health-related dietary requirements when necessary.

Despite the vital role of homecare, in a recent study we identified a paucity of evidence on (a) how food and drink needs of older adults are identified, assessed, and supported by homecare and (b) older adults’ food and drink-related care-related quality of life (see publication here).

This is an important gap as the unmet food and drink needs of older people who use publicly-funded homecare have almost doubled in England (for more details read here), and homecare keeps facing important challenges around capacity and sustainability.

This study will produce much-needed evidence to improve the food and drink-related quality of life of older adults. It will centre the experiences and knowledge of older adults, family carers, and homecare workers, who are often marginalised in research.

Meet the team

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Dr Lavinia Bertini (Principal Investigator)

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Dr Kanwal Mand (Research Fellow)

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Dr Stacey Rand (Co-investigator)

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Prof Monique Raats (Co-Investigator)

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Mrs Karin Webb (PPI Lead)

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Mrs Saba Raza (Public Advisor)

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Contact

Project contact: QoL@bsms.ac.uk