Enjoy! Enhancing Meals in the Swedish Public Sector

Nyberg

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

et al. 2020

The increasing age of populations throughout the world means that healthcare services are faced with new challenges, not least regarding the provision of food during hospital stay. There is a lack of knowledge of how hospital mealtimes are experienced by older patients, and so the aim of this article was to review current knowledge regarding mealtimes in hospitals from the perspectives of older patients. A literature search was performed using seven databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, SweMed+, ASSIA and CINAHL with no limits regarding publication date. The inclusion criteria were peer‐reviewed articles in English or Swedish that used qualitative methods to examine older patients’ (>65 years) mealtime experiences. The Five Aspect Meal Model (FAMM) served as a framework for understanding the complexity behind a mealtime experience. Qualitative content analysis was used as a guide when analysing the material. The search produced 415 studies, 14 of which were included in the review. The findings generated three main themes for understanding how older patients experience mealtimes while in hospital: (1) the food and the food service, (2) mealtime assistance and commensality during mealtimes and (3) the importance of retaining one’s independence. The review also clearly indicated a shortage of studies that solely focus on older patients’ experiences of their mealtime. More research is therefore needed to be fully able to understand the complex task of providing meals in hospitals.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical and Analytical Frameworkthe Five Aspect Meal Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Older patients’ perspectives on mealtimes in hospitals: a scoping review of qualitative studies

Nyberg

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

et al. 2020

“…Public meals aimed at relieving economically poor strata from stigmatised food aid, primarily through ‘the modern school lunch’ (Gullberg, 2006). Public meals have now become integral to Swedish welfare politics (Sporre et al, 2017); more than three million meals are served daily in Swedish preschools and schools, hospitals and care institutions (Höijer et al, 2020). Yet, scholars continue to illuminate how the Swedish welfare system is incomplete (Inghe and Inghe, 1968; Swärd, 2017).…”

Section: Food Practices Of Folkkök In Sweden: From Altruistic To Anar...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Political Imaginations of Community Kitchens in Sweden

Lundström

2022

Critical Sociology

Whereas the sociology of food has drawn attention to differences between corporate and alternative foodways, the political imaginations underpinning the latter are often overlooked. This article distinguishes between different political imaginations of the community kitchen, a set of practices characterised by collective preparation and redistribution of food. The analysis builds on ethnographic and archive material in Sweden to outline how the folkkök (people’s kitchen) was once an institutional practice to address urban food insecurity, soon outsourced as altruistic soup kitchens, and then regenerated a century later by the anarchist movement. By distinguishing between altruistic and anarchistic imaginations in this analysis, the article adds another layer to the critical sociological study of alternative foodways.

“The meal is an activity involving at least two people”—Experiences of meals by older persons in need of elderly care

2019

AimA shift of focus on older persons’ nutrition has occurred, from focusing on nutrition status to focusing on the whole meal. There is lack of studies on how older persons experience meals. Knowledge is needed to enhance a meal with dignity and pleasure, but also to prevent deterioration in nutrition. The aim was to describe meals from the perspective of older persons in need of elderly care.DesignA descriptive qualitative study.MethodSemi‐structured interviews (N = 18) were conducted and analysed using thematic analyses.ResultThree themes were identified: The meal is an activity which involves at least two persons, The meal relates to habits and traditions and The meal seldom gives possibilities to make individual choices. It was obvious that older persons who live in nursing homes miss the opportunity to decide what to eat, when to eat and with whom to eat. Attention must be paid to listening to older persons to enhance mealtime with dignity and autonomy.