Catering for Institutionalized Elderly People: The Care Home′s Dilemma Available to Purchase

The most significant demographic change in the UK this century has been the relatively rapid ageing of the population. More specifically, the growth of the very old (those over 80) has widespread implications for health and community care in the UK. Despite the Government′s recently revised community care policy, the changes in family structure brought about through divorce, geographical mobility and lower birth rate, as well as the degenerative nature of many mental and physical diseases,has meant that there are more elderly people being cared for in institutions, particularly private care homes. Consequently, private homes are responsible for the nutritional wellbeing of thousands of elderly people. Reviews the findings of a study of private homes in West Yorkshire in 1992‐3 on the problems of catering for elderly people in care and points to some areas where successes in the field of healthy eating and improving health and independence have occurred.