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Herts Independent Living Service – Nutrition & Wellbeing

15th October 2015

The Herts Independent Living Service (HILS), based in Letchworth, provide a meals on wheels service to vulnerable people in their own homes and supported housing.

As well as this service, they also aim to educate and promote wellbeing across the wider community in Hertfordshire. Their Nutrition and Wellbeing team now run a new service that aims to help their clients to stay well and independent by identifying and addressing nutritional, lifestyle and health issues.

Ageing Well

Ageing well involves empowering older people and their support network to live active, healthy lifestyles and limit deterioration and illness. In order to help people age well, it is important to prevent or delay illness, disability and long term conditions. Where these are not preventable, the Herts Independent Living Service say that working together to minimise their impact is essential to help people to remain independent in their own homes. HLS also say that a proactive and preventative approach is necessary in order to achieve these aspirations which will contribute to the following benefits:

  • Fewer visits to the GP
  • Fewer hospital admissions
  • Delay or prevent a move to residential or nursing care

Herts Independent Living Service - Nutrition & Wellbeing

Services from HILS

Included in the new service from the Herts Independent Living Service is:

  • Nutrition training
  • Fun and FREE bitesize sessions for individuals and their support network
  • Referrals to services that can help with any issues associated with health and wellbeing
  • HILS dietitians can offer 1-2-1 support to discuss nutritional concerns
  • A nutritional review that includes a height and weight check
  • A Wellbeing Screen that identifies lifestyle and health issues which can then be addressed
  • A range of booklets addressing nutritional issues and ways these can be improved
Key areas of HILS’s work include:

Raising Awareness

HILS train all their staff, and the wider community working with older and vulnerable people, to achieve good nutrition. They share best practice and information with organisations across Hertfordshire involved with helping older and vulnerable people to live well.

Identifying Issues

All clients are offered a malnutrition and wellbeing check for FREE. The Herts Independent Living Service holistic approach considers social, psychological and health factors that may be having a negative impact on general wellbeing and/or nutritional status.

Addressing Issues

HILS will adapt or extend their meal service to meet nutritional needs. They offer lunch clubs, befriending, community alarm and telecare installation. They will also refer to outside services as needed. They provide information and practical advice sessions to clients and their support networks specifically tailored to vulnerable people in the community.

Improving Current Practice

Herts Independent Living Service is the only meals on wheels provider in the UK taking this proactive approach. They provide ongoing screening completed by their wellbeing champions to ensure they continually adapt to their clients’ changing needs. They are also working with students from the University of Hertfordshire who are assisting them to assess and monitor services, and to add to the evidence base through research projects.

Herts Independent Living Service - Nutrition & Wellbeing

Bitesize Nutrition and Wellbeing Sessions

Short 30 minute sessions are offered by the Herts Independent Living Service that cover practical advice and provide information for older and vulnerable people and their support networks. These include:

  • Good nutrition for older people
  • Recipe adaption and high energy snacks
  • Eating well with dementia
  • HILS’ hot meals tasting with nutritional information
  • Recipes for nourishing drinks and tasting session
More Information

For further information about the HILS and their new nutritional and wellbeing service, visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HertsComMeals. Alternatively, call them on 0330 2000 103 (all calls are charged at local rate).