Let’s Do Lunch; improving wellness and reducing social isolation among community dwelling elderly

Background and Aims

The number of older adults remaining in their homes rather than moving to residential aged care is increasing and while this is preferred by the vast majority of older adults, 'aging in place' can increase social isolation. This project aimed to discover how increasing in-home connection with clients of Meals on Wheels Queensland could impact their wellbeing, including social isolation and loneliness.

What We Did

The Let's Do Lunch (LDL) built on the social license of Meals on Wheels Queensland to extend and enhance its social engagement with clients. By going beyond simply delivering a meal, volunteers visited a client to enjoy a meal together. The strategy of engaging clients in their homes, using discussion over a meal, was seen as a potentially efficacious way of addressing both social isolation, and being able to undertake more comprehensive wellness checks on a regular basis.

Outcomes

The program was welcomed and highly valued by Meals on Wheels clients, with preliminary results suggesting those who were identified with the highest social isolation and loneliness, benefitting from the program. A range of experiences were reported by volunteers participating in the program and careful consideration of their needs and preferences is required for successful matching between volunteers and clients. The cost effectiveness of the project is dependent on the funding and implementation model selected.

The project demonstrated the use of a screening tool to measure social isolation and loneliness when onboarding new clients to Meals on Wheels will be an effective way to target this program more effectively to those in need.

Impact on Aged Care and Workforce

Increasing social connection through an in-home lunch program may positively impact older adults who have high levels of social isolation and loneliness. It may open up opportunities for Meals on Wheels to develop a new segment of the volunteer workforce building upon the social capital already created in community care.

Resources Developed

A summary of results (free access) can be accessed on the Nutrition and Catering Website: https://nacinstitute.com.au/

Next Steps

The next steps of the program will investigate how we can specifically reach older adults who are at the greatest risk of social isolation and loneliness. Funding for a further trial will be explored to examine whether a more targeted approach will produce even better results for individuals identifying as socially isolated or lonely. Funding for the program with the option for three coordinators across the state will also be explored.