Måltiden; näring för gemenskap

The aim of our study was to examine how the elderly experience their meal situation in a sheltered housing. We have used a qualitative approach. We conducted individual interviews with six elderly in a sheltered housing to collect our empirical material. To reach the purpose of this study we tried to answer the questions: which factors affect the elderly person?s experience of the meal and which significance does the meal have for the elderly? To reach deeper understanding for our collected material we used Maslow?s theory of human motivation, the two concepts of Tönnies; gemeinschaft and gesellschaft, disengagement theory and the concept of Bourdieu, called habitus. Our result shows that five factors have impact on how the elderly experience their meals. These are: Acceptance and means that the elderly accept their situation and are therefore satisfied with the conditions they have concerning the meals. The food with its taste, aroma, appearance and variety. There was disagreement among the respondents about how the food was experienced and in which way it affected their meals. The factor influence was also found to be significant. The more influence and the more opportunities to make their own choices, the more positive were the elderly?s experiences. The room environment includes the dining room at the sheltered housing, which were where all the respondents chose to eat. The design, décor and noise level in the dining room were found to be of significance. The final factor that were identified was the meeting. The factor includes the relationships and interactions that are created in the dining room between the elderly and the staff, but also among the elderly themselves. The result also showed that the meal means an opportunity to satisfy the hunger, a time for togetherness and a pleasant break from the daily (non-) routines. 

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