SUstainable healthy NutRition In nurSing homEs (SUNRISE)

"The thing is, they throw away a lot... you couldn`t afford that in private!" As part of another project in a care home setting, the desire for more sustainability in the food served was an important issue for the residents. Many would like to do more, for example to reduce waste. There is hardly anyone who would not like to eat a healthy and climate-friendly diet. But what are the reasons that cause such a wide gap between desire and reality, especially when it comes to food? The SUNRISE project is looking into this question. SUNRISE stands for SUstainable healthy NutRition In nurSing homEs. In "Sunrise", this topic is passed on to the residents and staff of a care home. The residents and staff become citizen scientists. They will use photos to record examples of successful sustainable nutrition and examples of unsustainable nutrition that they encounter in their everyday lives. In a second step, the residents and staff will conduct interviews to find out more from other residents and colleagues. All the data collected will be analyzed by the residents and staff together with scientists. All these results will be discussed in various workshops with residents, staff and scientists. At the end of the two-year project, a guideline will be produced that will help to make nutrition in care homes more healthy and sustainable. By turning residents and staff into scientists, a new view of sustainability can emerge from the perspective of the people who actually live and work in the care home. This increases the chance of application in practice and can improve the quality of life of residents as well as the quality of work and satisfaction of staff. The project can also help to improve the image of care homes in society. Many generations live and work in care homes, each with different skills and knowledge that are important for a more sustainable future. Last but not least, the SUNRISE project is the first time that residents and staff from a care home have become scientists.