Scoping review: food as an axis to shaping social participation for older adults
Faculty
Health Science
Supervisor Name
Dr. Debbie Rudman
Keywords
food occupations, age in place, older adult, social connection, social inclusion, social exclusion
Description
Neighbourhood resources that support older adults’ capacity to age in place is crucial to the maintenance of well-being. Seemingly mundane aspects of daily habits and chores like food-related activities are often taken for granted, but they provide a valuable resource to support older adults’ ability to age in their homes and in their familiar communities. Food can act as an avenue to engage outside of one’s home and allow older adults to interact with their communities in ways that promote belonging; however, access to resources that promote well-being and social connection through food occupations is often inequitably distributed and is affected by a multitude of events in older age. A previously established and ongoing participatory action research (PAR) project formed the base of this study. It highlights the centrality of food to seniors’ experiences of social inclusion and exclusion1. This project involves completing a scoping review addressing the question: what is known about the role of food-related occupations in relation to aging in community and the shaping of social inclusion/exclusion1? Spanning seven databases, nineteen articles were selected for inclusion that address the aforementioned question.
References:
1. Rudman, D. (2021, April). Research proposal. London, Ontario.
Acknowledgements
Supervisor: Debbie Laliberte Rudman, PhD, OT Reg. (Ont.)
Distinguished University Professor
Associate Director & Graduate Chair, School of Occupational Therapy
Occupational Science Field Leader, Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Western Ontario
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Document Type
Event
Scoping review: food as an axis to shaping social participation for older adults
Neighbourhood resources that support older adults’ capacity to age in place is crucial to the maintenance of well-being. Seemingly mundane aspects of daily habits and chores like food-related activities are often taken for granted, but they provide a valuable resource to support older adults’ ability to age in their homes and in their familiar communities. Food can act as an avenue to engage outside of one’s home and allow older adults to interact with their communities in ways that promote belonging; however, access to resources that promote well-being and social connection through food occupations is often inequitably distributed and is affected by a multitude of events in older age. A previously established and ongoing participatory action research (PAR) project formed the base of this study. It highlights the centrality of food to seniors’ experiences of social inclusion and exclusion1. This project involves completing a scoping review addressing the question: what is known about the role of food-related occupations in relation to aging in community and the shaping of social inclusion/exclusion1? Spanning seven databases, nineteen articles were selected for inclusion that address the aforementioned question.
References:
1. Rudman, D. (2021, April). Research proposal. London, Ontario.