![]() ![]() This means that we, as human beings, can only experience the world through our bodies, thus, through our lived experiences. The study is inspired by the phenomenological way of understanding the body as a non-dualistic onto-epistemological phenomenon (Heidegger, 1962 Husserl, 1982 Merleau-Ponty, 2002). ![]() In this article, we approach the phenomenon of meals in DCC, not only as a physical, sociocultural phenomenon but also as an existential phenomenon. Several studies, therefore, highlight the importance of being attentive to individual and cultural preferences for different kinds of food in various settings, including in DCCs, nursing homes, and kindergartens (Delormier et al., 2009 Kvitberg, 2019 Rytter et al., 2021). Thus, more recently, we have seen a growing interest in social aspects of food intake, highlighting, e.g., how eating together with others may increase one’s appetite (Björnwall et al., 2021) or how staff, e.g., through their choices of themes of conversation, may influence, in both positive and negative ways, the social atmosphere during mealtimes in institutional settings (Harnett and Jønson, 2017 Kofod, 2012 Pearson et al., 2003).įood preferences vary, both culturally and within a culture, from person to person (Hayes-Conroy and Hayes-Conroy, 2008). Counteracting malnutrition among frail older adults is, however, a complex task that goes far beyond macronutrients and calories (Abbott et al., 2013). Malnutrition may lead to various challenges and illnesses for the person in question, including prolonged hospital stays, and it is estimated that preventing malnutrition among frail older adults may reduce the costs of health- and care services by billions (Abizanda et al., 2016). The reason for this focus is probably malnutrition, which is a considerable problem among frail older adults, whether living at home or in institutional care settings (Abbott et al., 2013 Landmark et al., 2014). To date, the topic of food as a significant dimension of elderly care has primarily been studied from a nutritional perspective, typically exploring how a good meal should be constituted in terms of macronutrients and calories (Gaskill et al., 2008 Kenkmann et al., 2010 Khor et al., 2021 van der Pols-Vijlbrief et al., 2014). Socializing, engaging in activities, and particularly sharing meals are often cited by the older adults as the most important reasons for attending such DCCs (Pardasani, 2010 Rummelhoff et al., 2012 Sadarangani et al., 2018). To be able to stay at home despite frailty, many older adults spend one or several days a week in DCCs for older adults. In Sápmi Footnote 1, in North Norway, where this study took place, as elsewhere in the Western world, many older adults are expected to continue to live in their own homes, even after becoming frail and in need of care. (Narrative based on fieldnotes from a breakfast situation in a DCC for older adults in Sápmi).” He smiles brightly as the memories pass through him, and I start to understand how certain foods may connect people to their past, while other foods-I´m thinking about the reheated, processed fish stew served for dinner the other day when no one seemed to enjoy either the taste or the texture-are experienced as meaningless, inedible even. ![]() “So many memories from when I was a child!” He tells me that he used to eat rømmekolle when he was young, which brings him to memories of hard work with the horse on the farm but also to mischief and joyful moments. “It makes me so happy to eat this,” he explains to me. In the role of the fieldworker in a Day Care Center (DCC) for older adults in Norway, I observe how Sverre, 83, one of the older adults attending the DCC, is savoring every single spoonful of fermented cream (“rømmekolle”) he puts in his mouth. ![]()
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