Respecting needs of older vegetarians and vegans in the care sector 'is a matter of human rights and equality in all areas'

There is a wide range of resources available for vegans and vegetarians to fulfil their philosophical beliefs and nutritional needs and charities are helping the care sector to ensure the needs of older vegetarians continue to be met as they move to rely on social care.

Vegetarian for Life is a charity, which was established in 2007 by trustees who were inspired by the story of one older lady who had been a dedicated animal’s rights campaigner, who had also set up her own charity.

When she went into care after developing dementia in her late 80s and 90s, she was given food containing meat products, with staff claiming they felt it was acceptable because she ‘would not know any different.’

Unfortunately she did not have any relatives to highlight the unethical practices of staff, but she inspired the creation of charity Vegetarian for Life to prevent further instances happening within the social care sector.

Amanda Woodvine, director of vegetarian for Life said: “Sadly this is quite a common approach. But all individuals have a right to varied and nutritious meals, and respect for their previously held beliefs and cultural norms.”

Vegetarianism

“Catering for vegetarians in care is often a hit and miss affair. But it doesn't have to be difficult.”

Although some providers are successfully providing a variety of colours, textures and meals with good nutritional balance to older people, charities like Vegetarian for Life are working hard to ensure a cycle of beige coloured food such as cheese and egg dishes are not served to potentially vulnerable older people living with age related illnesses such as dementia.

The number of older vegetarians requiring care is expected to rise in the near future, due to what Ms Woodvine describes as the ‘ageing hippy generation’ and an expected increase in vegetarians from black and ethnic minority groups entering care.

Ms Woodvine continued: “We understand that by eating differently to everyone else, vegetarians and vegans can be viewed as something of a nuisance.

“It’s a common myth that providing more vegetarian menu options will be more expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Soya mince and pulses (peas, all types of beans, and lentils) tend to cost much less, and go much further, weight-for-weight, than even the cheapest cuts of meat.”

A study by the charity into the food preferences of older adults found fruits, vegetables and beans were a more popular choice than red meat, milk and dairy products, suggesting a vegetarian diet could have wide appeal for older people due to its plant based food options.

Veganism

The Vegan Society is also working to ensure the philosophical rights of older vegans are taken into consideration by the care sector as well as the nutritional needs which accompany a vegan lifestyle.

Pharmacists can find medication for vegans which are free from animal ingredients, however EU law does currently allow most prescribed treatments to be safety tested on animals.

Veganism is now a belief recognised by the European Convention on Human Rights, and home care providers preventing or limiting the life choices of vegans through indirect discrimination can now be seen as acting unlawfully.

Amanda Baker, senior advocacy and policy officer of the Vegan Society said: “The care sector has a duty to enable older people to enjoy appropriate, nutritious food. This is a matter of human rights and equality in all areas of life. We are certainly aware of cases where older vegans have struggled to access vegan-friendly food, toiletries and cultural activities in the care sector.

“If an organisation has policies, criteria or processes that put vegans at a disadvantage because of our vegan beliefs, this may be indirect discrimination.

“Vegan living is becoming much better understood, so the numbers of vegan clients for care services is likely to rise steadily. Also, equality monitoring reveals that many service providers are still unsure about their duties under human rights and equalities legislation.”

Nutrition

For care providers creating suitable meals that are tasty and appealing to vegetarians and vegans there are a wide range of food which provide the nutrients and essential vitamins needed to keep them healthy.

High calorie and protein rich ingredients such as avocado, hummus, ground almonds and peanut butter can be used to substitute the micronutrients such as zinc and calcium non vegan and vegetarians get from dairy products and meat.

Marmite is a food which can offer important added vitamin B12 to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Tangy citrus sauces are often used to help vegans get enough vitamin C to aid the body’s absorbsion of iron from non-meat sources.

Ms Baker of the Vegan Society said: “Vegan-friendly service provision can help care workers meet the needs of just about any client, since plant-based solutions are appropriate for almost anyone.”

Care homes

Many care homes are working to provide varied diets for vegetarian residents and have been using resources provided by both the Vegan Society and Vegetarian for Life to improve standards of food.

Wendy Gibbs, regional manager at Glebe House care home said: “We pride ourselves on delivering person centred care, and this includes residents dietary needs, whether it be vegetarianism, diabetic, kosher or low fat, to name a few.

“This is especially important when dealing with someone who lacks capacity, and the involvement of the family is paramount.

“Our team pride themselves on creating an interesting and a varied vegetarian menu, as such food can often be described as boring and bland, and can lack imagination.”

Tracy Sutherland, head of hospitality for HC-One said: “Our vegetarian and vegan dishes have to be protein dense and include a balanced mix of grains and pulses with other plant based foods.

“If weight loss becomes an issue as it can sometimes in older people the tradition is to fortify foods with dairy products.”

More to be done

Caterers can benefit from the information available for creating meals on the Vegetarian for Life website, but the charity also offer grants to older vegetarians who are experiencing financial hardship to help them continue to live independently.

Guides ‘Cooking on a budget’ and ‘Nutrition guidelines’ also offer advice on the daily changes home care providers can make to educate and enable carers to provide the same standard of care for those with alternative beliefs and choices.

So, should the care sector be doing more to take the needs of older vegan and vegetarian into consideration? Ms Baker of the Vegan Society said: “Yes! Vegan-friendly service provision can help carer workers meet the needs of just about any client, since plant-based solutions are appropriate for almost anyone. Vegan living is becoming much better understood, so the numbers of vegan clients for care services is likely to rise steadily.”