“The Service, I Could Not Do without It…”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Significance of Meals on Wheels among Service Users and People Who Refer Them to the Service
Table 2
Themes and subthemes resulting from the thematic analysis.
Theme
Subtheme
The importance of a nutritious meal and promoting overall health
(i) Importance of a hot meal that requires no preparation
(ii) Meal quality (nutritional balance, taste, variety, portion size, and presentation)
(iii) Appropriateness of discussing and promoting physical activity
Safeguarding and welfare
(i) Carrying out welfare checks
(ii) Meals on Wheels are an essential part of the care package
Promoting independence and enhancing social interactions
(i) Reliability and consistency of service delivery
(ii) Importance of interactions in reducing isolation and loneliness
(iii) Promoting independence and “ageing in place”
Service operation and interactions with service users
(i) Efficiency and flexibility of customer service
(ii) Friendliness of drivers who deliver the meals
(iii) Length of interactions with Meals on Wheels drivers
Implications of external factors on the Meals on Wheels service
