Musik som hjälpmedel för att öka aptiten hos äldre

Sammanfattning: It has long been discussed how to use music in a new way in the field of food and elderly, and in this study, the authors wanted to test this. Music is the language of emotions. It’s a powerful tool, but its effects are difficult to predict (Theorell, 2009). Malnutrition in the elderly is a serious condition that often gets overlooked (Edfors & Westergren, 2012). According to the Swedish National Food Administration food and meals are important, not only to meet our needs for energy and nutrients, but also our quality of life, and that applies especially to food in eldercare (Svenska Livsmedelsverket, 2013). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether music can be used as a tool to increase appetite in the elderly and was clearly delineated against a quantitative and qualitative approach to cover the entire spectrum. The study was carried out at a retirement home in Kävlinge municipality, including a total of six informants (5 men and 1 woman). The results of the study show that participants in the study on elderly housing ate 19 % more during the lunch meal if music is played during the meal, and on average weight was increased by 1.2 kg by participants during the study. The main difference which the authors noticed was the change of the social interaction between health care consumers, from not having spoken to each other around the table during lunch meals, to engage in conversations on their own. The authors hope that the material developed during the study will be implemented by Kävlinge municipality in their daily activities. The music can be simple means to be a help to the staff in everyday life (Andersen et al., 2001).