Home Instead launches nutrition campaign

Home Instead’s Basingstoke branch is encouraging its elderly clients to eat well for their health.

Home Instead Basingstoke has launched a brand-new campaign that aims to encourage and educate elderly people about the important of nutrition and how it can help them to avoid preventable illnesses.

It came about after an independent survey by the senior care franchise discovered that nearly one-in-five over 75s had eaten alone for at least the last three months, attributing loss of appetite to this. Worryingly, it also found that more than 20% of over 75s were struggling to cook their own food and 34% admitted to skipping meals (with around 10% doing so regularly).

So, Home Instead is aiming to educate its clients on how eating well can help them to live their lives to the fullest. By equipping all of its caregivers with nutrition guides, it hopes to start conversations with clients and their families about diet and how they can avoid illnesses through bad nutrition.

Owner of Home Instead Basingstoke, Bob Nicholson, explained the motivation behind the new initiative.

“We want to bring back the love of food for older people here in the local community. As people age they experience changes to their sense of smell, taste and vision, this combined with health issues and often living alone can all impact on their desire to eat.”

He added that by helping Home Instead’s clients to eat not only regularly, but also well, it will help them to live their lives in the best possible way.

“Good nutrition is essential to help older people live well and the guidance we will be providing as part of the Stay Nourished campaign looks at all aspects of healthy eating, malnutrition, food hygiene, food preparation and cooking methods.”