Dear LPG

I know that it is a little late in the day but found an article that says more and more older British Pensioners are dying from malnutrition these days, even though I defy anyone to get to the age of 65 without learning the consequences of not eating properly.  By that time in our lives we will be able to remember having told a daughter, son, niece, nephew or friend about the importance of eating.

I think that another thing that we will have learned is that eating is a social activity.  In the early part of the last century it was accepted that the whole family would spend time sitting around the dinner table with the family enjoying a shared meal even if the topics of conversation were why the son was out so late the previous evening or what happened in yesterday’s episode of coronation street.    The dining table was the place to do things such as air your views, have a family row or talk politics even though we were always reminded not to talk at the table.

But times have changed and families often grab something on the way out to work while work starts at different times for each family member, so the food grabbing happens at staggered times.  The fact that families are not as localised as they once were, and also the government’s decision that has allowed shops to open on Sundays has limited the excuse that families had for getting together more often, and the Sunday family dinner has also become an event of the past for so many families that now either end up eating on the move, on a tray on their laps, or not bothering at all.  I remember the days when Sunday was the day that we went to Church and then went off to a family Sunday lunch where nearly all the family members, old and young would attend.

There is more than one reason to eat, even when you don’t feel like it, and we need to remember that a sandwich for dinner is no substitute for a plate of ‘meat and two veg’ with some greens on. 

As we get older it is more and more likely that we will be living alone but it is important not to make the mistake of not making sure we eat properly even if we don’t eat for pleasure.

I have to say that the government have let us down by all but doing away with the ‘meals on wheels’ service.  Those who still have one are now likely to receive a bulk delivery designed for the freezer which is no substitute for a daily visit and someone else to say hello to when they call.  I have a friend who used to say, no matter how brief that visit, just like the food that they brought, it gave lonely elders something else to look forward to.  Many used to comment on the meals but now that so many are not eligible, we are missing that service a lot.   The meals that are provided by companies like Wiltshire Farm do help but again there is a really marked difference between a frozen and fresh plate of dinner.

When you are not eating enough you are likely to be the last person to realise, especially if you don’t receive enough visitors or have enough friends to notice for you.  The best way to tell what is happening is to make friends with a pair of scales again and, if you think you are losing weight it is time for a trip to your GP.  We all need to do a BMI check from time to time as described in an LPG article which went out as the news post on 03 Apr 2018.

If you don’t get out much and are not inspired when eating alone, finding a telly programme you like and eating while watching it as part of your daily routine could help, and it appears that not only the young need a good pair of bathroom scales, we older people need to watch that our weight does not drop too much.

I remember an article that LPG wrote years ago about a pair of neighbours that invited each other to dinner on alternate days each week, leaving them with just Sundays to eat alone.  This meant that they had a reason to cook, or at least provide and eat a proper meal and they also had something to look forward to; someone to talk to, get together with and share a meal and a natter with nearly every day.

Lastly, if you have noticed that a neighbour, family member or friend is looking a little thinner, take the time to mention it to them and if someone you know says it about you, get on your new best friend, the scales, check your BMI levels and note your weight changes.

MJ, Ladywell

LPG has found the article that MJ was talking about and also added a link to the article about checking BMI.  We have also added some more information on this very important issue.

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