University of Glasgow / Food Train Partnership Project for 'Eat Well Age Well'
Impact of research beyond academia
This research, while ongoing, has already made an impact, particularly through dissemination of information regarding healthy ageing, with regards to malnutrition, food access, and mental health and well-being. For Malnutrition Awareness Week (MAW), October 2019, preliminary findings were presented in the first of a series of Knowledge Exchange (KE) events to Food Train and EWAW, as well as through a large social media compaign. Participants and key figures in the research process were able to see first-hand the data researchers were producing, and these preliminary findings supported a number of FT and EWAW events for MAW.
A second KE event followed on November 19th, 2019. Larger in scale than the MAW event, this academic and key stakeholder workshop discussion more in depth findings from this research, as well as bringing together a number of experts in the fields of healthy ageing, malnutrition, food access, and mental health and well-being, along with older adult representatives alike, to speak to the importance of ongoing research in these fields
At present, this research is having immediate impact in FT’s response to the COVID pandemic, helping shape how the organisation expands their support for Older Adults when even the most capable struggle to provide for their daily needs, FT’s support during and through recovery from COVID has been highlighted in many media outlets, as well as NHS Community Food and Health guidance leading our team to submit policy guidance to Scottish Government (see Carruthers et al., 2020 above) on best supporting vulnerable and food insecure older adults through this pandemic. This report has received wide traction on Twitter, and will form the basis of our postponed (from March 2020) parliamentary engagement event.