Research project

The proportion of elderly people in the population is increasing and many older people suffer from malnutrition. It means poorer health and that illnesses take longer to recover. This means suffering for the person affected and high costs for society. Research has shown that eating difficulties and difficulties in handling cutlery are common in several groups in society and with age, the proportion of individuals who have difficulty eating themselves increases. Stroke, Alzheimer's, osteoarthritis of the fingers and hands are common causes.

In addition, there are several people who because of shakes and Weaknesses in the arms, hands and fingers cannot handle cutlery and other eating aids. The project aims to develop so-called finger foods to meet the needs of energy and nutrition, ie food that is eaten directly with the hands and fingers without using any kind of cutlery. The social acceptance of eating foods like hamburgers is high, but eating traditional food with your hands is low. The project also aims to focus on social acceptance. Eating with hands and fingers can remedy a large part of the aforementioned problems. Well-developed and socially accepted finger foods can counter malnutrition through that they are motor-easy to bring to the mouth, gives a sensory experience not only through smell and taste, but also by using the sense of mind via the hands. Fingerfoods can contribute to increased autonomy and contribute to joy before and during meals Fingerfoods can also act as inclusive as even those with eating difficulties can be part of a meal.

Members from Kristianstad University: Karin Wendin, Sarah Forsberg, Viktoria Olsson, Maria Nyberg, Elisabet Rothenberg, Albert Westergren
Participating Partners: Kristianstad University, University of Copenhagen, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Linneaus University,
Contributing partners: NÄVER, Findus, Svenska Parkinsonförbundet
Funding: Kamprad Family Foundation
Project time: 36 months