Context
The province of Castellón, Spain, has witnessed a significant depopulation process in recent centuries, leading to very low population density in rural areas. Vistabella del Maestrat, with a population of just over 300, exemplifies this challenge. Ensuring access to services, particularly healthcare, is crucial for maintaining population stability in this municipality.
This context highlights the importance of prioritising social welfare policies for the elderly, who represent a notable proportion of the population and face additional care needs due to limited family support and age-related health issues. The ‘Menjar a Casa’ (Home meal delivery) project, implemented in 2020, addresses these challenges by providing essential services to the elderly population.
Objectives
The Menjar a Casa project aimed to address the shortcomings of the previous service, which was managed externally and suffered from deficiencies such as inconsistent delivery schedules, poor meal quality and limited user support. The Vistabella del Maestrat Council took over the project with the following objectives.
- Reliable meal distribution: ensure daily meal deliveries from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, and address logistical challenges related to distance and weather conditions.
- Enhanced nutrition and well-being: provide well-balanced and nutritious meals, distributed consistently throughout the week, to improve the users’ health and quality of life.
- Improved user monitoring and support: increase the frequency of social worker visits and interaction with users to better assess and address their needs.
- Sustainability of local businesses: source ingredients from local shops and farmers, supporting the local economy and contributing to a circular economy model.
- Combating depopulation: create job opportunities through the programme’s operation, incentivising residents to stay in Vistabella del Maestrat.
Implementation
The Menjar a Casa project was implemented by bringing the service under municipal control, redesigning the programme and prioritising quality improvement. This resulted in several positive outcomes. The number of users steadily increased, from just three in 2020 to serving 22.37% of the dependent older population by 2021. User satisfaction surveys revealed positive feedback on the quantity, variety and quality of meals, as well as the delivery schedule and interactions with delivery personnel. In fact, all users expressed willingness to recommend the service to others. Additionally, the programme prioritises sourcing ingredients from local businesses, injecting significant financial contributions into the community, particularly during the challenging winter months. Overall, the Menjar a Casa project serves as a successful example of addressing the needs of the older population in rural areas while promoting social inclusion, economic sustainability and a sense of community.