‘It is nice to see someone coming in’: Exploring the Social Objectives of Meals-on-Wheels

• Published in: Canadian journal on aging 2010-09, Vol.29 (3), p.399-410
• Main Authors: Timonen, Virpi, O’Dwyer, Ciara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Consumer Behavior; Consumer Product Safety; contact social; Cooking; Diet Surveys; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Food security; Food Services; Frail Elderly; Homebound Persons - psychology; Humans; Ireland; La Popote roulante; Loneliness; Male; Meals; Meals on Wheels; Mobility; Needs Assessment; nourriture; Nutrition; Nutritional status; Older people; personnes plus âgées; Physiology; Postal & delivery services; Quality of Life - psychology; service use; Social Acceptance; Social Contact; Social impact; Social interaction; Social isolation; Social Isolation - psychology; Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Statistical analysis; stigma; stigmates (pl.); Surveys and Questionnaires; utilisation du service
• ISSN: 0714-9808; 1710-1107
• DOI: 10.1017/S0714980810000371

Malgré le fait que La Popote roulante a des aspects nutritionnels et sociales, il y a un manque de recherche sur les objectifs sociaux de ce service. Cette étude a pour but de développer une compréhension des objectifs sociaux du programme et d’explorer l’étendue à laquelle ils sont remplis par La Popote roulante en Irlande. Un examen de la littérature a suggéré que potentiellement le service peut répondre à trois objectifs sociaux : (a) offrant des repas aux destinataires avec contact social, (b) aidant à revigorer un intérêt dans les repas en les faisant plus réguliers et (c) aidant à développer l’acceptation du service. Des entrevues ont été menées avec 66 destinataires de repas à explorer ces thèmes et les augmenter si nécessaire. Les résultats de l’étude montrent que les destinataires des repas dérivent du service un contact social limité; que les heures des repas bien reglées n’étaient pas important pour la plupart des destinataires; et même que beaucoup étaient peu disposés à accepter le service. Despite the fact that Meals-on-Wheels have both nutritional and social aspects, research on the social objectives of the service is lacking. This study set out to develop an understanding of the social objectives of Meals-on-Wheels and to explore the extent to which they are met by Ireland’s Meals-on-Wheels services. A literature review suggested that Meals-on-Wheels services can potentially meet three social objectives: (a) providing meals recipients with social contact, (b) helping to restimulate an interest in meals and regularising mealtimes, and (c) helping to develop acceptance of the service. Interviews were conducted with 66 meals recipients to explore these themes and augment them as necessary. Study results show that meals recipients derive limited social contact from the service; regularising mealtimes was not important to most recipients; and many were reluctant to accept the service. The three objectives are therefore minimally met within the Irish system at present.