The Breakfast Club – co-creational meal practices as rehabilitation strategies in nursing homes

Abstract

Abstract Background A growing aging population demands new welfare public health activities in nursing homes. Involving residents in meal activity through a co-creational approach as part of a rehabilitation strategy has been suggested as a solution, but knowledge is limited. This project explore how co-creational meal practices in a breakfast club might improve residents’ food related functionality and quality of life. Methods The project is designed as a three-year complex intervention study in a Danish nursing home. A breakfast club is held with 4-5 residents (16 all together) and 2-6 staff members on a weekly basis during a period of 10 month. Residents are on shift hosting the club and all members are preparing the meal together. The degree of food related functionality is assessed after each club and is analyzed through paired t-test on mean values. Semi-structured interviews in combination with Research Driven Photo-Elicitation is conducted with 16 residents and 8-10 staff members before, during and after holding the clubs in order to evaluate quality of life and potentials for implementing meal practices to everyday practices. A hermeneutic analysis strategy is applied. Results Preliminary results from 12 breakfast clubs finds an increase in residents food related functionality. Data will be presented in November 2019. All residents express impact on quality of life independent of physical or mental state. Improved functionality is not the main value for participation in the breakfast club. Staff became aware of utilizing residents food related functionality. Conclusions The study will contribute with new knowledge about whether co-creational meal activities could have a positive effect on functional abilities and improve health-related quality of life in residents in nursing homes. A meal practice based on co-creation has potential to become implemented as a public health activity in nursing homes and increase residents’ quality of life and food related functionality.