Home care
Meals delivered after a hospital stay linked to fewer quick returns, Duke study finds
Older adults at risk of hunger who got two weeks of delivered meals after leaving a Duke hospital were less likely to be readmitted within two weeks. About a third of referrals never led to a delivery.
Key facts
- A Duke study found older adults who got delivered meals after a hospital stay had lower odds of readmission within two weeks.
- More than a third of referrals never led to a delivery.
What happened
Researchers at Duke University looked at 368 adults age 60 and older who were food-insecure or at risk of malnutrition and were referred to home-delivered meals when they left a Duke hospital between September 2022 and April 2024, North Carolina Health News reported on October 27. The program offered one meal a day for two weeks, about $210 per person. The study was published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Among people who received meals, about 5% were back in the hospital within 14 days, compared with about 13% of those referred who did not get meals. After adjusting for other factors, the odds were about 69% lower at 14 days and about half at 21 days; by 30 days the difference was no longer clear. More than a third of referrals never resulted in a delivery, often because patients could not be reached or paperwork was missing, and the first meal arrived a median of nine days after discharge.
What it means for families
The study shows a link, not proof that meals prevent readmissions, and the researchers could not separate the food from the visit by the person delivering it. The practical lesson is about timing and follow-through.
For example: a son whose mother is going home after pneumonia asks the discharge planner on day one about meal delivery, gives a phone number that will be answered, and stocks easy meals for the first week in case delivery starts late.
What this means in New York: county offices for the aging arrange home-delivered meals for older adults, and NY Connects can help families start a referral. Some programs have waiting lists.
What to do this week
- Ask the hospital discharge planner about home-delivered meals before discharge day.
- Make sure the program has a phone number someone will answer.
- Plan food for the first week in case the first delivery is delayed.
Sources
More from Home care
- Medicare will pay to train family caregivers, but few families have used it
- CMS moves to add California to home health claims review as enrollment freeze nears Nov. 13 end
- Aide shortages and Medicaid cuts are pushing more home care onto families, think tank says