Illuminating the (non-)meaning of food: organization, power and responsibilities in public elderly care – a Swedish perspective

Abstract

This paper is an integrative literature review and analysis of the organization, power and responsibilities of public elderly care in Sweden with a focus on food and foodservice provision. In Sweden, the public sector is largely responsible for caring for people who cannot manage their everyday life activities themselves. In the process of decentralization, the municipalities are given the responsibility to care for a growing population of old people, many of whom require extended care and help. In several studies, different problems have been revealed in relation to the municipalities’ commitment to and engagement in this issue of providing old people with food and meals. To achieve a national curriculum, and counteract the non-meaning of food in elderly care, we need a compulsory organization that gives old people the power, the right and the choice of food security in their everyday life.