A Review of the nutritional needs of Meals on Wheels consumers and factors associated with the provision of an effective Meals on Wheels service—an Australian perspective

Abstract

Objective: A review of the literature was undertaken to identify the nutritional needs of elderly MOW consumers and factors affecting the ability of existing programs to meet those needs. The focus was on the Australian experience but drawing on the world literature. Design: Keyword search of English language based computer databases of the medical and health literature. Results: Several studies suggest the nutritional intake of MOW consumers is below recommended levels, although the risk of nutritional de®ciency has not always been identi®ed. The literature indicates the effectiveness of Meals on Wheels programs are affected by a range of issues including the appropriateness of nutritional standards, menu selection, portion control, level of consumption and customer satisfaction. The literature recommends control of time and temperatures associated with food handling procedures, along with education of providers and customers, to assist in the provision of a safe food supply. Conclusions: Meals on Wheels is an important service, providing meals to housebound consumers. While the effectiveness of such programs is dependent on a range of variables, the nutritional impact of the service and the standard of food hygiene are fundamental assessment criteria.

What's on the tray? Nutritional intake of Meals on Wheels clients

“…Nevertheless, the study, although small and not generalizable to older clients of other MOW services, addresses a gap in the literature regarding dietary intakes of frail older adults in the community who access the service. In contrast to previous studies of MOW clients [3,[6][7][8] our study participants were well nourished, which suggests that the MOW service is supporting the independence of these individuals. Overall, dietary intake was adequate for energy, protein and fibre, however calcium intake could be improved.…”

The Experiences of Elderly People Living at Home Related to Their Receiving Meals Distributed by a Municipality in Sweden

“…There are studies showing that meals-on-wheels receivers are at risk of malnutrition (Coulston, Craig, & Voss, 1996;Johansson, Bachrach-Lindstrom, Carstensen, & Ek, 2009;Payette, Boutier, Coulombe, & Gray-Donald, 2002). Other studies show that FD is an important service but that the consumer's experience of the service and products depends upon a range of factors including nutritional status (Krassie & Smart, 2000;Roberts, Wolfson, & Payette, 2007), demographic and socio-economic factors, and menus that accommodate the individual consumers' requirements and preferences. This highlights the importance of assessing the consumers' experiences in order to improve the FD services (Almanza, Namkung, Ismail, & Nelson, 2007;Krassie & Smart, 2000).…”

“…The organisation of FD in Sweden differs from that in other welfare states where the FD, is mostly organised by either private companies or voluntary organisations, Examples of this are the USA (Frongillo et al, 2010), the UK (McKie, Clark, MacLellan, & Skerratt, 1998), Canada (Timonen & O'Dwyer, 2010), Australia (Krassie & Smart, 2000), Germany (Sneeuw, Stam, de Graaf, & van Staveren, 1991), Japan (Nakura, Tatara, Shinsho, Fukuda, & Nakajima, 1994), The Netherlands (Aagaard Nielsen & Svensson, 2006), France (Michaud et al, 1998) and Italy (Inelmen et al, 2000). In most of these countries the charges for all care and services are related to the client's income/pension.…”

“…Other studies show that FD is an important service but that the consumer's experience of the service and products depends upon a range of factors including nutritional status (Krassie & Smart, 2000;Roberts, Wolfson, & Payette, 2007), demographic and socio-economic factors, and menus that accommodate the individual consumers' requirements and preferences. This highlights the importance of assessing the consumers' experiences in order to improve the FD services (Almanza, Namkung, Ismail, & Nelson, 2007;Krassie & Smart, 2000). Elderly people who receive their meals distributed through an FD service have important experiences and knowledge to share that can be used for improving the FD service (Gustafsson, Ekblad, & Sidenvall, 2005;L.…”

Public home care professionals’ experiences of being involved in food distribution to home-living elderly people in Sweden – a qualitative study with an action research approach

“…The main rule regarding fees is that they are lower for those with poorer ability to pay [4] . In that way, the organisation of FD in Sweden differs from that in other welfare countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, Holland, Ireland, Japan and other countries where FD is organised by either private companies or voluntary organizations [10][11][12][13][14][15] . Even if the FD systems differ, the FD is a concrete welfare intervention for home-living elderly people.…”