Concerns have been raised over moves towards
delivering batches of frozen meals to the elderly,
thus cutting out a major point of regular contact
for those who live in isolation.
Picture: Sean Bell
EDINBURGH (The Scotsman), March 28, 2006:
* Investigation reveals pensioners in care being fed on less that £1 per meal
* Pensioners' meals have avoided scrutiny of those found in schools
* European study shows half of elderly people suffering from malnutrition
Key quote
"The idea of stocking meals in a freezer is not what care in the community is all about. There is more to it than economics - there is the human element. For some elderly people, meals on wheels is the only contact they get. It is not rocket science. It is common humanity and when people lose the common touch, then the society is on a downward slide." - JOHN SWINBURNE, SENIOR CITIZENS UNITY PARTY
Story in full
SCOTTISH pensioners in residential care are being fed meals that cost less than £1 to produce, The Scotsman has discovered in an investigation into the quality of food served to the elderly.
Councils are spending as little as 92p per person per meal in residential homes, rising to £2.80 - revealing a postcode lottery of care.
Our investigation also found that an increasing number of authorities are providing frozen meals made in England rather than the traditional meals on wheels, despite the fact this cuts out daily contact for many isolated pensioners. Twelve local authorities provided frozen meals to at least some of the elderly population.
The Scotsman asked all 32 local authorities in Scotland to respond to a questionnaire on elderly food services. But the results reveal that unlike the "Jamie Oliver revolution" in schools - where turkey twizzlers are increasingly being replaced with healthy options - meals served to the elderly have come under no such scrutiny.
There are about 35,000 pensioners in care homes in Scotland. All are means-tested to see how much they pay of their living costs, ie food and accommodation. About 20,000 elderly people in Scotland receive meals on wheels. Most elderly people in Scotland pay for their meals, unless they are entitled to benefits, so a cheap meal can help to keep "hotel costs" down.
However, nutritionists argued that like schoolchildren and other vulnerable members of society, pensioners need more spent on food to maintain a certain level of health. Campaigners said there should be a more consistently high standard of food served to pensioners.
With up to half of elderly people suffering from malnutrition, according to a recent European study, Age Concern Scotland said more care needs to be taken to ensure that elderly people are provided with the food they like and can afford.
The Scottish Executive insisted that strict guidelines on nutrition and choice ensure that elderly people are always served a high standard of food.
The survey of local authorities asked how much was spent per person per meal in a council-run residential home. However, figures varied because of different methods of calculation.
East Lothian Council returned the lowest figure, at 92p per person per meal, not including heat, light, employment or equipment costs. But the council said the meals met nutritional standards and it was able to keep costs down by bulk-buying food. Clackmannanshire and West Dunbartonshire claimed to spend the most, at £2.80.
A typical menu at an East Lothian care home is porridge, cereal or a cooked breakfast, steak pie, potatoes and vegetables or cold meats for lunch, followed by apple sponge and custard, and the evening there is a light supper of salad, cold meats, cheese and fruit. Biscuits and tea or coffee are provided throughout the day. However, Sue Baic, a nutritionist with the British Dietetic Association, said: "I find it hard to imagine how you could get adequate nutrition on 92p per day."
As well as spending money on quality ingredients, Ms Baic said homes should provide healthy snacks, such as fruit and nuts as well as biscuits, to ensure that elderly people who have no appetite or are frail get enough nutrients. Food should also be appropriate for dentures or special requirements, such for people with diabetes. "We could certainly do with a person equivalent to Jamie Oliver to improve food for the elderly," she added.
John Swinburne, of the Senior Citizens Unity Party and MSP for Central Scotland, said councils cut costs on food for the elderly in favour of other services. "I think it is amazing anybody could provide a meal for 92p in the 21st century," he said. "You could get away with that just after the war, but not nowadays. I feel the Executive are giving too much scope to councils and allowing too much disparity."
Mr Swinburne was also angered by the rise in frozen meals, many supplied by Apetito, a private company that produces all its meals in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. The company provides a range of meals to a nutritional standard set by the National Association of Care Caterers and offers more variety than meals on wheels. The meals are more convenient for many areas as they can be delivered in a batch to the elderly every 14 days.
However, Mr Swinburne said the saving came at a cost to many isolated elderly people, who rely on meals on wheels as an essential point of contact. "The idea of stocking meals in a freezer is not what care in the community is all about," he said. "There is more to it than economics - there is the human element. For some elderly people, meals on wheels is the only contact they get.
"It is not rocket science. It is common humanity and when people lose the common touch, then the society is on a downward slide."
Lindsay Scott, of Help the Aged, said elderly peoplewere already complaining to the charity about frozen meals. "Old people would prefer not to continuously have frozen meals.
"They appreciate, from a cost point of view, frozen meals are easier but to have frozen meals day in, day out, it is not just the routine boring them, it is the lack of interaction with the person who delivers the food.
"The biggest worry for us is not how much is spent on meals but the nutritional content of the food. We have more and more old people going into hospital with malnutrition.
"When somebody comes round and plonks 14 frozen meals in your freezer and all you have to do is heat it in the microwave, every day you are losing out on the social aspect of meals.
We think it might be affecting some old people negatively."
But a spokesman for the Executive said the Care Commission ensures that local authorities maintain national care standards in feeding elderly people.
He added: "The Executive is currently working with the Care Commission to consider the development of nutritional standards for care homes."
However, the Care Commission, the residential home watchdog, has admitted that only 13 per cent of total inspections in 2004-5 looked at nutritional standards.
Andrew Sim, the policy officer at Age Concern Scotland, called on the Executive to ensure that local authorities were meeting the needs of pensioners by providing appropriate services.
"It seems to me, across Scotland, individuals are having to meet needs of the service rather than a service meeting the needs of the individual," he said.
"We would like to see each local authority carrying out a realistic evaluation of whether their meals service meets the needs of old people."
Call for more fruit and veg as nutrition fears grow
WHILE health professionals agree quality food is important in old age to protect against infections and recover from illnesses, the European Nutrition for Health Alliance last year said that up to half of elderly people in residential homes in Europe are malnourished.
In addition, Age Concern has said the health of 500,000 older people is under threat in the UK because they are undernourished. Dieticians said care homes should provide more healthy snacks and train carers in nutrition, while chefs advocated a return to healthy traditional cooking.
Brigid McKevith, senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation,
said frozen meals were generally nutritious but there was a limit as to how much people might like, particularly in the summer.
Of more concern was ensuring elderly people are eating enough and are eating nutritious snacks.
"If they are snacking on biscuits, they are not getting their vitamins and minerals," she said. "I would suggest they offer dried fruit and nuts, cheese and crackers or even fruit scones to ensure the residents are getting something nutritious."
Like younger adults, elderly people need at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and Ms McKevith said care homes should offer more.
"They should try to include more fruit and veg because some of the problems we see in elderly people are because of malnutrition," she said.
David Williams, head chef at Greywalls Hotel in Gullane, said cooking needs to get "back to basics". "I have heard horror stories of vegetables being boiled to a pulp and whizzed up, by which time any goodness has gone," he said.
"This does not help promote good diet or health. Ironically, you need to go back to the food my gran used to cook: pot au feu, potted hough, bouillabaisse, cullen skink. This is the kind of food Michelin star restaurants serve, just tarted up."
'How dare they tell me what kind of food I should eat?'
FRANCES Hay, 93, is practically blind, needs help with everyday personal care and is able to eat only one square meal a day, writes Louise Gray.
Like most people of her generation, she seldom complains. But that changed when her council tried to force her to eat frozen meals every day.
Highland Council argued that frozen meals were the only option when the pensioner from Fortrose had her home care cut from one hour to a half hour every lunchtime. But it did not gamble on a fight.
Ms Hay was outraged that the same government that had cut down frozen meals for children still thought they were good enough for the elderly.
"One minute the government is agreeing with Jamie Oliver that we should not give kids frozen meals, then the next minute they are going to give frozen meals to pensioners," she said. "I cannot understand the mentality of this. How dare they tell me what food I should eat?"
Although frozen food can be just, if not more, nutritious than fresh food, Ms Hay said pensioners should be able to choose what they eat.
"Why do they think the elderly are quite happy with frozen meals. I do not think you would like to eat frozen meals seven days a week, would you?" she asks. "I said no way; I will not have frozen meals."
Eventually, the council backed down and agreed to allow the carer to prepare her a hot meal, but in only half an hour. Ms Hay says the carer struggles to cook anything "decent" in the short time allotted but is pleased she can at least have one freshly-cooked meal a day.
However, across the rest of the Highlands frozen meals have become standard for elderly people. And The Scotsman survey has found frozen meals are provided by 11 other councils, while many are considering frozen meals at least on a trial basis.
Ms Hay, a former children's nurse, is now worried about all the other pensioners who are unable to fight for hot meals.
"They seem to be giving everybody frozen meals nowadays, whether they like them or not," she says.
"What really worries me is the people out there alone who have to have frozen meals."
Highland Council has a Meals At Home service which is provided by Apetito, with frozen meals supplied monthly or fortnightly. Frozen food was introduced because it provides more "equitable" provision across the rural and urban areas.
By LOUISE GRAY
March 28, 2006
U.K.: Pensioners in Care Being Fed for Less than £1
Concerns have been raised over moves towards
delivering batches of frozen meals to the elderly,
thus cutting out a major point of regular contact
for those who live in isolation.
Picture: Sean Bell
EDINBURGH (The Scotsman), March 28, 2006:
* Investigation reveals pensioners in care being fed on less that £1 per meal
* Pensioners' meals have avoided scrutiny of those found in schools
* European study shows half of elderly people suffering from malnutrition
Key quote
"The idea of stocking meals in a freezer is not what care in the community is all about. There is more to it than economics - there is the human element. For some elderly people, meals on wheels is the only contact they get. It is not rocket science. It is common humanity and when people lose the common touch, then the society is on a downward slide." - JOHN SWINBURNE, SENIOR CITIZENS UNITY PARTY
Story in full
SCOTTISH pensioners in residential care are being fed meals that cost less than £1 to produce, The Scotsman has discovered in an investigation into the quality of food served to the elderly.
Councils are spending as little as 92p per person per meal in residential homes, rising to £2.80 - revealing a postcode lottery of care.
Our investigation also found that an increasing number of authorities are providing frozen meals made in England rather than the traditional meals on wheels, despite the fact this cuts out daily contact for many isolated pensioners. Twelve local authorities provided frozen meals to at least some of the elderly population.
The Scotsman asked all 32 local authorities in Scotland to respond to a questionnaire on elderly food services. But the results reveal that unlike the "Jamie Oliver revolution" in schools - where turkey twizzlers are increasingly being replaced with healthy options - meals served to the elderly have come under no such scrutiny.
There are about 35,000 pensioners in care homes in Scotland. All are means-tested to see how much they pay of their living costs, ie food and accommodation. About 20,000 elderly people in Scotland receive meals on wheels. Most elderly people in Scotland pay for their meals, unless they are entitled to benefits, so a cheap meal can help to keep "hotel costs" down.
However, nutritionists argued that like schoolchildren and other vulnerable members of society, pensioners need more spent on food to maintain a certain level of health. Campaigners said there should be a more consistently high standard of food served to pensioners.
With up to half of elderly people suffering from malnutrition, according to a recent European study, Age Concern Scotland said more care needs to be taken to ensure that elderly people are provided with the food they like and can afford.
The Scottish Executive insisted that strict guidelines on nutrition and choice ensure that elderly people are always served a high standard of food.
The survey of local authorities asked how much was spent per person per meal in a council-run residential home. However, figures varied because of different methods of calculation.
East Lothian Council returned the lowest figure, at 92p per person per meal, not including heat, light, employment or equipment costs. But the council said the meals met nutritional standards and it was able to keep costs down by bulk-buying food. Clackmannanshire and West Dunbartonshire claimed to spend the most, at £2.80.
A typical menu at an East Lothian care home is porridge, cereal or a cooked breakfast, steak pie, potatoes and vegetables or cold meats for lunch, followed by apple sponge and custard, and the evening there is a light supper of salad, cold meats, cheese and fruit. Biscuits and tea or coffee are provided throughout the day. However, Sue Baic, a nutritionist with the British Dietetic Association, said: "I find it hard to imagine how you could get adequate nutrition on 92p per day."
As well as spending money on quality ingredients, Ms Baic said homes should provide healthy snacks, such as fruit and nuts as well as biscuits, to ensure that elderly people who have no appetite or are frail get enough nutrients. Food should also be appropriate for dentures or special requirements, such for people with diabetes. "We could certainly do with a person equivalent to Jamie Oliver to improve food for the elderly," she added.
John Swinburne, of the Senior Citizens Unity Party and MSP for Central Scotland, said councils cut costs on food for the elderly in favour of other services. "I think it is amazing anybody could provide a meal for 92p in the 21st century," he said. "You could get away with that just after the war, but not nowadays. I feel the Executive are giving too much scope to councils and allowing too much disparity."
Mr Swinburne was also angered by the rise in frozen meals, many supplied by Apetito, a private company that produces all its meals in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. The company provides a range of meals to a nutritional standard set by the National Association of Care Caterers and offers more variety than meals on wheels. The meals are more convenient for many areas as they can be delivered in a batch to the elderly every 14 days.
However, Mr Swinburne said the saving came at a cost to many isolated elderly people, who rely on meals on wheels as an essential point of contact. "The idea of stocking meals in a freezer is not what care in the community is all about," he said. "There is more to it than economics - there is the human element. For some elderly people, meals on wheels is the only contact they get.
"It is not rocket science. It is common humanity and when people lose the common touch, then the society is on a downward slide."
Lindsay Scott, of Help the Aged, said elderly peoplewere already complaining to the charity about frozen meals. "Old people would prefer not to continuously have frozen meals.
"They appreciate, from a cost point of view, frozen meals are easier but to have frozen meals day in, day out, it is not just the routine boring them, it is the lack of interaction with the person who delivers the food.
"The biggest worry for us is not how much is spent on meals but the nutritional content of the food. We have more and more old people going into hospital with malnutrition.
"When somebody comes round and plonks 14 frozen meals in your freezer and all you have to do is heat it in the microwave, every day you are losing out on the social aspect of meals.
We think it might be affecting some old people negatively."
But a spokesman for the Executive said the Care Commission ensures that local authorities maintain national care standards in feeding elderly people.
He added: "The Executive is currently working with the Care Commission to consider the development of nutritional standards for care homes."
However, the Care Commission, the residential home watchdog, has admitted that only 13 per cent of total inspections in 2004-5 looked at nutritional standards.
Andrew Sim, the policy officer at Age Concern Scotland, called on the Executive to ensure that local authorities were meeting the needs of pensioners by providing appropriate services.
"It seems to me, across Scotland, individuals are having to meet needs of the service rather than a service meeting the needs of the individual," he said.
"We would like to see each local authority carrying out a realistic evaluation of whether their meals service meets the needs of old people."
Call for more fruit and veg as nutrition fears grow
WHILE health professionals agree quality food is important in old age to protect against infections and recover from illnesses, the European Nutrition for Health Alliance last year said that up to half of elderly people in residential homes in Europe are malnourished.
In addition, Age Concern has said the health of 500,000 older people is under threat in the UK because they are undernourished. Dieticians said care homes should provide more healthy snacks and train carers in nutrition, while chefs advocated a return to healthy traditional cooking.
Brigid McKevith, senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation,
said frozen meals were generally nutritious but there was a limit as to how much people might like, particularly in the summer.
Of more concern was ensuring elderly people are eating enough and are eating nutritious snacks.
"If they are snacking on biscuits, they are not getting their vitamins and minerals," she said. "I would suggest they offer dried fruit and nuts, cheese and crackers or even fruit scones to ensure the residents are getting something nutritious."
Like younger adults, elderly people need at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and Ms McKevith said care homes should offer more.
"They should try to include more fruit and veg because some of the problems we see in elderly people are because of malnutrition," she said.
David Williams, head chef at Greywalls Hotel in Gullane, said cooking needs to get "back to basics". "I have heard horror stories of vegetables being boiled to a pulp and whizzed up, by which time any goodness has gone," he said.
"This does not help promote good diet or health. Ironically, you need to go back to the food my gran used to cook: pot au feu, potted hough, bouillabaisse, cullen skink. This is the kind of food Michelin star restaurants serve, just tarted up."
'How dare they tell me what kind of food I should eat?'
FRANCES Hay, 93, is practically blind, needs help with everyday personal care and is able to eat only one square meal a day, writes Louise Gray.
Like most people of her generation, she seldom complains. But that changed when her council tried to force her to eat frozen meals every day.
Highland Council argued that frozen meals were the only option when the pensioner from Fortrose had her home care cut from one hour to a half hour every lunchtime. But it did not gamble on a fight.
Ms Hay was outraged that the same government that had cut down frozen meals for children still thought they were good enough for the elderly.
"One minute the government is agreeing with Jamie Oliver that we should not give kids frozen meals, then the next minute they are going to give frozen meals to pensioners," she said. "I cannot understand the mentality of this. How dare they tell me what food I should eat?"
Although frozen food can be just, if not more, nutritious than fresh food, Ms Hay said pensioners should be able to choose what they eat.
"Why do they think the elderly are quite happy with frozen meals. I do not think you would like to eat frozen meals seven days a week, would you?" she asks. "I said no way; I will not have frozen meals."
Eventually, the council backed down and agreed to allow the carer to prepare her a hot meal, but in only half an hour. Ms Hay says the carer struggles to cook anything "decent" in the short time allotted but is pleased she can at least have one freshly-cooked meal a day.
However, across the rest of the Highlands frozen meals have become standard for elderly people. And The Scotsman survey has found frozen meals are provided by 11 other councils, while many are considering frozen meals at least on a trial basis.
Ms Hay, a former children's nurse, is now worried about all the other pensioners who are unable to fight for hot meals.
"They seem to be giving everybody frozen meals nowadays, whether they like them or not," she says.
"What really worries me is the people out there alone who have to have frozen meals."
Highland Council has a Meals At Home service which is provided by Apetito, with frozen meals supplied monthly or fortnightly. Frozen food was introduced because it provides more "equitable" provision across the rural and urban areas.
By LOUISE GRAY
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