Charity Food Train highlights need for action as it raises concerns amid Malnutrition Awareness Week
Known rates of malnutrition among older people in Dumfries and Galloway may be just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, a charity has warned.
Screening by Dumfries-headquartered Food Train has found that 13% of people aged 65 and over in the region are at risk of malnourishment and falling ill as a result.
But it believes the actual numbers are greater, with concerns growing about undetected and unreported malnourishment among older people – and the impact that has on their health.
Food Train works to tackle malnutrition and loneliness among older people by making sure they have access to the food they need to eat well and live well in their own homes.
Its delivery vans are familiar sights on the region’s streets – dropping off groceries to its 620 members locally, with volunteers shopping at supermarkets in Dumfries, Annan, Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart and Stranraer.
The charity is raising its concerns about malnourishment and issuing calls for action to tackle the issue as part of UK Malnutrition Awareness Week (November 11-17).
Food Train chief executive Rosie McLuskie said: “Because of our history and level of operations in the region, our volunteers and team do a tremendous job in trying to keep older people living locally well-nourished and happy.
“The fact that 13% of older people across the Dumfries and Galloway are at risk of malnutrition is, however, extremely worrying. But the even more concerning reality is that this number is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.
“The people we have screened are those who have accessed a service run by us, or one of our partners. What about the people who aren’t using services like ours and are slipping through the net?
“Malnourishment among older people is a hidden problem, which has a serious impact on people’s health. For their sake, we need to redouble efforts to get an accurate picture of the scale of those at risk – and those who are actually malnourished and need immediate help.”
Early intervention is recognised as a key way to stop those in danger of becoming malnourished, most notably by preventing dramatic weight loss.
To heighten awareness and encourage action, Food Train is this week writing to all of the region’s MSPs calling for:
- Mandatory malnutrition screening by all agencies supporting older people
- The right to food to be embedded in Scots law
- Increased investment in community initiatives tackling isolation and increasing opportunities for older people to eat
- The Scottish Government to appoint and Older People’s Minister to help tackle this and other issues affecting the over-65s
John Bennett is a long-serving Food Train volunteer delivery driver in Dumfries and has seen time and again the difference that the charity’s work makes on older peoples’ lives.
He said: “It’s good to be able to help people when they’re not able to do their own shopping. We meet lots of different people.
“By having their shopping delivered, it means they’re able to stay in their own homes for longer. They’re much happier and healthier there.”
Screening by Food Train, which also hosts lunches and other events where people can gather to enjoy good food and company at its English Street community hub in Dumfries, highlighted a national average of 16% of older people at risk of malnutrition.
Jen Grant, a dietitian with Food Train’s Eat Well Age Well project, works with older people to prevent malnourishment.
She said:“People who are malnourished are at increased risk of becoming unwell and malnourishment can exacerbate other health concerns – including becoming frail and suffering falls.”
Food Train has long argued that increased investment in screening and preventative community services such as theirs would ease the financial strain on NHS and social care services by reducing the number of older people who become ill due to malnutrition or loneliness.
UK Malnutrition Awareness Week is organised by The Malnutrition Task Force and the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) to raise awareness and understand the risks of preventable malnutrition among both the public and health and social care professionals.
To find out about how Food Train could help you or someone you know, email [email protected] or call 0800 3047924. To register as a volunteer, go to www.thefoodtrain.co.uk.
