Building Community through Meals in the Care Home Setting

Abstract

Drawing on an observation of life in Danish care homes for the elderly, this article examines how meals are used to build community among the institutionalized elderly in Denmark. Using qualitative methods, the article follows the transition of sixteen elderly people from own their homes into the care home setting. Elderly people and care home staff share similar expectations about meals, including how “cozy” conversation should create the “cozy” community that is fundamental to Danish social life. Nevertheless, the establishment of a sense of community among meal participants is inhibited by a number of obstacles, including staff discussions of work-related issues, social hierarchy among the elderly residents, lack of basic social competency, and residents' protests against institutional practices. I argue that building community through meals is a useful concept for furthering an understanding of meals as an aspect of care for the institutionalized elderly.

Keywords:

• family meals
• institutionalized care
• elderly people

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jens Kofod

Jens Kofod is a researcher at SFI—The Danish National Centre for Social Research, Herluf Trollesgade 11, Copenhagen K, 1052, Denmark ([email protected]).