In recent years, Meals on Wheels (MoW) services have been in a state of decline as austerity policies have become entrenched. However, this decline is occurring with little knowledge of the impact withdrawal of MoW services has on the health and well-being of those who use them. The pandemic has raised awareness of precarity and vulnerability in relation to food that affects many people in the UK and other Westernised countries and this provides further context for the analysis presented. This paper presents findings of a mixed methods ethnographic study drawing on qualitative interviews and visual methods underpinned by social practice theory to explore the household food practices of older people receiving MoW services. Interviews were conducted with 14 older people receiving MoW, eight MoW staff delivering MoW services in the east of England and one expert. The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the study, and once the first lockdown began visits to the homes of older people were terminated and the remaining interviews were undertaken by telephone. The study found that a number of threats accumulated to change food practices and moved people towards vulnerability to food insecurity. Threats included difficulty accessing food and cooking due to sensory and physical challenges. The MoW service increased participants' coping capacity. As well as benefiting from the food provided, the relational aspect of the service was important. Brief encounters between MoW staff built caring relationships that developed over time to ensure older people felt valued and cared for. The study demonstrates how MoW services make a positive contribution to food practices, supporting vulnerable adults to continue living well in their own homes and protecting them from food insecurity and ill-being. Local authorities looking to make cost savings through ending MoW services should consider the impact this would have on the well-being of older residents.

中文翻译：

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送餐服务和老年人的食品安全

近年来，随着紧缩政策的实施，送餐 (MoW) 服务一直处于下滑状态。然而，这种下降是在人们对停止使用世界记忆服务对使用这些服务的人的健康和福祉产生的影响知之甚少的情况下发生的。这场大流行提高了人们对影响英国和其他西方国家许多人的食品的不稳定性和脆弱性的认识，这为所提出的分析提供了进一步的背景。本文介绍了一项混合方法民族志研究的结果，该研究利用以社会实践理论为基础的定性访谈和视觉方法，以探索接受世界记忆服务的老年人的家庭饮食习惯。采访了 14 名接受 MoW 的老年人，八名在英格兰东部提供世界记忆服务的工作人员和一名专家。Covid-19 大流行中断了这项研究，一旦第一次封锁开始，对老年人家中的访问就终止了，其余的访谈都是通过电话进行的。该研究发现，许多威胁不断累积，改变了人们的饮食习惯，并使人们容易受到粮食不安全的影响。威胁包括由于感官和身体挑战而难以获得食物和做饭。MoW 服务提高了参与者的应对能力。除了从提供的食物中获益外，服务的相关性也很重要。世界记忆工作人员之间的短暂接触建立了随着时间的推移而发展起来的关爱关系，以确保老年人感到受到重视和照顾。该研究展示了世界记忆服务如何为食品实践做出积极贡献，支持弱势成年人继续在自己的家中过上良好的生活，并保护他们免受食品不安全和疾病的影响。希望通过终止世界记忆服务来节省成本的地方当局应该考虑这对老年居民福祉的影响。