1. supporting older people at home
Michelle Carruthers
Food Train CEO

2. The story so far …..
1995
2018

3. 2600 Members 2 Food services 2017/18
44,362 Shopping Deliveries
Over £1.5m fresh food and groceries supplied
299 Pairings
4,075 Meals Shared
£12,000+ value of donated meals
173 Trips
3,751 Home Visits
Food related befriending
2600 Members
2 Food services
2017/18

4. 2002 Free Personal and Nursing Care at Home
2008 Review of Free Personal and Nursing Care at Home
2011 Meals and Messages Research
2013 London Study Tour
2014 Meal Makers Launched
2015 Malnu-trition Summit
2016 Cross Party Group Food & Older People
2018 Eat Well Age Well
2018 closure of 7 hot meals services

5. Food Train 2018 Member Survey
2006 headline in the Scotsman was
“Outrage at Scotland's deadly and growing toll of malnutrition” – more older people living alone at home without adequate care and support were cited as the most vulnerable to malnutrition
Food Train 2018 Member Survey
39% use service due to transport/access problems
29% use service due to fall
21% use service due to difficulty cooking
13% use service due to loneliness
8% use service to help with caring role
14% worried about losing weight
12% eating one meal a day
“my carers don’t have long enough to make proper meals”
“I find it hard to lift heavy things like pots and pans from the cooker”
“I haven’t the energy or inclination to cook, have almost forgotten how to cook”
NHS England data 2007/08 shows 391 admissions where malnutrition was the primary diagnosis, rising to 801 in 2016/17. In 2004 Scotland’s rate of deaths directly caused by malnutrition was double that of England and Wales.
2013 Research from International Central for Longevity found 1 in 10 over 65’ at risk of or experiencing malnutrition, result is more time spent with GP, more time spent in hospital, more time spent in recovery and greater cost overall
Research from the National Association of Care Catering shows that meals on wheels coverage in Scotland has been slashed from 94% of local authorities in 2014 to just 59% in 2016 with a further dramatic drop expected in 2018

6. Diet & Obesity Strategy Good Food Nation Public Health Reforms
Age, Home and Community
Diet & Obesity Strategy
Good Food Nation
Public Health Reforms
Health and Social Care Outcomes
Where and how does older eating people well fit?
Everybody's business, yet no nobody’s business?

7. Sharing food and friendship with an older neighbour
Emma Black
Fundraising & Marketing Manager

8. What is Meal Makers?
Meal Makers is a project which encourages and facilitates people to cook and share an extra portion of food with an older person living locally who could really benefit from a delicious, home cooked meal from a friendly neighbour.

9. Meal Makers - How it works?
PVG
Cook signs up and completes criminal record check and an online food hygiene test
Local Recruiters find Diners and help to sign them up
Cooks search for local Diners, Meal Makers team help make the match. This is done using GPS tracking
Cook and Diner arrange a date and time for a meal share
Cook delivers tasty home cooked meal to their diner
Cook logs meal share on the website

10. Long Term Benefits Reduce social isolation Tackle malnutrition
Encourages intergenerational community cohesion
Helps tackle the digital divide

11. Where are we? NE Fife MM Jun 2018 Perth & Kinross MM Nov 2015 Stirling
FT Nov 2011
MM Jan 17
Dundee
FT Jan 2012
MM Aug 2014
Renfrewshire
FT Jun 2013
MM Jan 2016
West Lothian
FT Sep 2010
Edinburgh
MM Feb 2016
North Ayrshire
MM 2017
Glasgow
FT Feb 2013
MM Jan 2015
Scottish Borders (selected areas)
FT & MM Jun 2017
Dumfries & Galloway FT Jul 1995 MM Mar 2018

12. 587 ‘Cooks’ and ‘Diners’ matched
Progress so far
11,297 Meals shared
12,327 hours of befriending
587 ‘Cooks’ and ‘Diners’ matched
*Stats accurate as of 31/08/2018

13. Eat Well Age Well – tackling malnutrition in older adults living at home Laura Cairns Project Manager Eat Well Age Well, Food Train

14. What is Eat Well Age Well?
Eat Well Age Well is a new 3.5 year
project as part of the Food Train and
funded by the Big Lottery.
The project aims to contribute to the prevention,
detection and treatment of malnutrition and
dehydration among older adults (over 65) living at
home in Scotland.

15. at risk of or suffering from malnutrition
older people
at risk of or suffering from malnutrition
Malnutrition Task Force (2013) A review and summary of the impact of malnutrition in older people and the reported costs and benefits of interventions

16. are at risk of or suffering from malnutrition
Malnutrition in Scotland
103,000
older people
are at risk of or suffering from malnutrition
Reference:

17. What we do Testing change ideas Capacity Collaborative relationships
building
Collaborative relationships
Research and evaluation
Policy into Practice

18. ‘Small Ideas Big Impact’ Grant scheme
Aim of the fund is to support older people to
eat well, age well and live well. It is expected
that projects will integrate food into their
proposed activities.
Fund is open now, closes Friday 7th December
Apply online or call

19. Eat Well Age Well public and professional website www. eatwellagewell
Eat Well Age Well public and professional website

20. Research & Evaluation Research Study
Prevalence of malnutrition in Food Train customers and older people in the community
Scoping out best measures to use? (e.g. MUST screening)
Which might be transferable to community settings?
Identification of risk factors for malnutrition e.g.
Demographics, isolation and loneliness, mental wellbeing
Qualitative interviews (design in conjunction with older people’s panel)
Food access, preparing and cooking meals
Use of technology: how can we reach older people living at home? What technology do FT customers have?

21. Test of change – innovations internal to Food Train
Food Train Stirling and Community Café
- healthy ready meals to be made at the community café
ordered and delivered through Food Train
linking older people to the community café > reducing social isolation.
Planning testing use of Salford paperweight
arm band non-intrusive, non-medical tool to
screen for malnutrition.

22. Tests of change – innovations with partners
Midlothian Council carers testing slow cookers
hot evening daily basis elderly clients
nutritious meals can be made without excessive costs
carers and clients trying new recipes > use clients & own family
Midlothian Red Cross and rapid access/hospital discharge teams
- screening for malnutrition
- building in malnutrition assessment questions into universal paperwork
hospital around
building in malnutrition assessment questions/
screening universal paperwork and providing them
with Food First info.