This literature overview showed several important aspects in understanding the food and meal situation among
home-living elderly people with motoric eating difficulties, including nutritional status, food choice and
preferences as well as the entire meal situation. Motoric eating difficulties make the important meal situation
problematic in an already vulnerable group of elderly people, and may lead to decreased well-being and health in
terms of risk for malnutrition and social isolation. Eating difficulties lead to the need for several adaptions with
www.ccsenet.org/jfr Journal of Food Research Vol. 4, No. 1; 2015
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regard to food choice and preparation, as well as eating frequency. Experiences of guilt and shame may also
affect the meal situation, resulting in social withdrawal. Eating difficulties often result in dependency on others
during the meals. At the same time, independency is highly rated among the elderly. Supporting new preventive
actions regarding food and meals such as the development of new and refined eating aids, may increase the
possibility of an independent living. Furthermore, the importance of developing and enhancing food with respect
to nutrient content and sensory liking as well as entire meal concepts that can be used together with these eating
aids, should also be considered in order to promote health and to prevent malnutrition. In this respect, more
attention should be given elderly with eating difficulties, focusing on food choice and preferences, as well as
how to arrange for help and assistance regarding purchase and preparation of the food, and the actual eating
situation.