Parliamentary launch of ‘Dietary Beliefs and Identity in Care’ Research
Two years on from an inquiry demonstrating evidence of a lack of respect for philosophical and religious beliefs in care settings, people in the UK are still being fed meals that go against their deeply held beliefs or practices.
Meanwhile, a systematic literature review into the connections between identity, food, and care has found evidence that the consideration of a person’s dietary identity affects their well-being and health outcomes when living in care.
This event will disseminate these findings, with implications for care and how we consider and reflect the relationship between people’s diet and their deeply-held beliefs as they age.
V for Life and a coalition of organisations and individuals are taking action by launching the Special Dietary Network in Parliament on 23rd May 2023, bringing together representatives from different faiths and beliefs who have an interest in making sure that their diets and identities are respected throughout their lives, even when they might not be able to articulate them.
If you have an interest in improving the training, standards, and practices in the care sector to support service users who have special dietary beliefs, the event at 2pm on 23rd May will give you an opportunity to:
- hear about the latest research into issues facing people trying to maintain their identity in care;
- engage with religious leaders concerning the importance of diet to their faith and experiences of having them respected;
- discuss the breadth of issues around diet – from how and when meals are served, through to how the ingredients in medicines interact with the requirements of religions and beliefs, to lessons from emergency food provision during the pandemic;
- about the Special Dietary Network and how you can get involved.
