Cash to prevent malnutrition in elderly

An estimated one on 10 elderly people in Scotland suffer from malnutrition

A charity that works to prevent malnutrition among the elderly in Scotland has received £1.2m from the National Lottery Fund.

The Food Train's Eat Well, Age Well scheme plans to address eating habits and create a network to help older people eat well.

The scheme will involve care workers, volunteers and government.

An estimated one in 10 elderly people in Scotland are affected by malnutrition, according to the charity.

The Dumfries-based charity, which delivers meals to hundreds of meals each week, heard from volunteers who talked about the foods they used to love and share, but how age, frailty and an increasingly inaccessible care system affected their ability to eat as they wanted.

The right food

East Well, Age Well will trial ways to address older people's eating habits, working alongside the London-based Malnutrition Task Force.

Food Train chief executive Michelle Carruthers welcomed the funding from the National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund.

She said: "Through the Eat Well, Age Well project, we will work towards a sustainable approach to reduce malnutrition among older people living at home and create a long-lasting and engaged network across the country committed to this issue."

Public health minister Aileen Campbell said: "Food Train has great experience of working with food, health and older people, and is well-placed to take this forward."

She said the Scottish government would consult on a new diet and obesity strategy in the autumn, which would consider how to support access to the right food.