Meals on wheels services and the food security of older people

Experiences and perceptions of meals on wheels volunteers in providing nutritional care to older adults: A qualitative evidence synthesis

In the community, Meals on Wheels (MoW) programmes are instrumental in the delivery of meals to nutritionally vulnerable older adults. This qualitative evidence synthesis aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences among volunteers of MoW services of their role in supporting nutrition care. Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were searched employing qualitative data collection and analysis methods. Results were synthesized using Thomas and Harden's three step approach for thematic synthesis. Three articles were included and two themes were identified: (1) complexity in coordinating MoW to ensure service delivery, and (2) the MoW volunteers' perception of their role in providing nutrition care was eclipsed by the social element of their role. While MoW is pivotal to support older adults' independence, challenges like staffing, funding constraints, and limited community awareness of the service persist. Volunteers' express positivity but face concerns about time commitment and replacement recruitment. Exploring MoW volunteers' broader roles in food insecurity is imperative to understand and address the complex dynamics of providing nutrition care and support to older adults.

"It Made Me Feel Like a Person Again": Benefits of Meals on Wheels-Based Social Connection Programs

Social isolation and loneliness are associated with negative health outcomes, and these outcomes are exacerbated among older adults who are homebound. To address this issue, Meals on Wheels programs increasingly provide social connection services to clients in addition to home-delivered meals. This descriptive qualitative study examines the impact of three types of social connection programs on the well-being of homebound older adult clients, as well as on the volunteers and staff members who deliver the programs. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with 117 clients, volunteers, and staff in six Meals on Wheels social connection programs across the United States indicated that program participation was associated with substantial benefits. Benefits included the development of supportive friendships, reduced feelings of loneliness, and an improved overall sense of well-being. Insights from this study may inform the development, expansion, and sustainability of social connection programs provided by community-based organizations.

Supporting each other: Older adults' experiences empowering food security and social inclusion in rural and food desert communities

Older adults vulnerable to food insecurity are at risk of poor psychological and physical health. Poor public infrastructure or proximity to food sources can exacerbate risk of food insecurity. Reduced statutory services for social care has heightened the responsibility on third sector organisations and community-led volunteering, essential to supporting healthy ageing in place and reducing the inequalities of ageing. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how older adults' volunteering with a third sector organisation focused on food access supports food security and builds social capital for socially or economically marginalised older adults within rural and food desert communities. The study aims to bridge the knowledge gap of how volunteering in vulnerable geographies affects food insecurity and community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven older (55+) volunteer 'meal makers' working with the third sector organisation Food Train and its 'Meal Makers' project. Interview recordings were transcribed and thematically analysed. Ecomap methodology was used to illustrate the lived experiences of older adult volunteers as told through the interviews. Two themes were identified by Thematic Analysis: (1) Networks, connectedness, and exposure to social capital, and (2) Supplementary support. This study finds that older adult volunteers are well placed within community interventions supporting food insecure older adults in rural or food desert communities. Ecomaps demonstrated that high social capital volunteers can mediate food access barriers and highlighted points of local knowledge and social connection. Volunteer engagement provides opportunities for food secure older adults to share local knowledge and build networks of food support and social inclusion for food insecure older adults. Older age volunteering should be advocated as a multi-faceted intervention promoting mutual health and wellbeing in volunteer and beneficiary.