​Pilot scheme combats malnutrition among older people

Freshly cooked meals served to elderly people in Dundee as part of an experimental scheme is tackling malnutrition among the elderly so successfully it is to be rolled out to other areas of Scotland.

Meal Makers matches volunteer cooks with an elderly person through a website.

The pilot project, run by charity The Food Train, will now be rolled out in Glasgow in the new year after its initial success.

In its first few weeks nearly 50 cooks signed up and there has been interest from other parts of Scotland too.

Emma Black, project leader, said: "A lot of elderly people are malnourished within Scotland and this is a way of getting good, home-cooked food into their houses and getting them eating properly," she said.

"The other problem we have is the social isolation aspect. A number of elderly people don't see people from day to day.

"So having that person volunteer and come in and bring a good meal and have a sit down and a chat, it has a huge impact on people."

After checks are carried out, the cook prepares an extra portion of food once a week to take to the "diner" they have been paired with.

Art student Fiona McAndrew was the first cook to sign up to the scheme.

She cooks for pensioner Norman Quigg who lives alone in sheltered housing in Dundee.

"It gives me food I wouldn't normally be making for myself," he said. "I don't like fancy foods or spices or pizzas or anything like that, I prefer basic foods and that's the kind of food Fiona brings me and I think it's worked out quite well."