UNAIR NEWS – The Department of Nutrition at Universitas Airlangga’s Faculty of Public Health (FKM), in collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing (FKP), carried out a community service program at the Madiun City Elderly Home. Led by Dr. Farapti, a physician and clinical nutrition expert, the team—comprising faculty members, students, and alumni—implemented a program titled “Integrated Support for Quality Care and Food Service at the Madiun Elderly Home: Toward Becoming a Model Long-Term Care Facility.” The two-day event took place from Friday (July 11, 2025) to Saturday (July 12, 2025).
Opened in September 2024, the Madiun City Elderly Home is a relatively new facility. In addition to internal collaboration, the UNAIR team partnered with STIKES BHM Madiun to support administrative and operational improvements, especially in quality care and nutrition services. The initiative received strong support from the Madiun City Office of Social Affairs, Women’s Empowerment, and Child Protection.
“We’re thankful for the warm welcome. At this early stage, collaborative input and guidance are vital,” said Dr. Farapti. “Although the current number of residents is small, the facility is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Our program serves as a starting point. We hope these efforts will continue and help the home evolve into a leading long-term care facility, just as the title of our program suggests.”
Supporting staff and residents
On the first day, the focus was on training the facility’s staff. The UNAIR team delivered sessions on quality care and food service, inviting experienced guest speakers. The day also included interactive discussions with staff and a site assessment of the elderly home’s current systems.
“We noticed that meal services are still outsourced through catering, which isn’t a major issue, but nutritional planning needs expert oversight,” Dr. Farapti noted. “At this stage, a full-time nutritionist might not be necessary, but routine consultations to guide menu planning would be beneficial.”
The second day included health screenings and social service activities for the residents. The team also introduced brain exercise routines designed to reduce dementia risk. To foster a more engaging environment, the day’s agenda featured fun, educational games that were well-received by the elderly participants.
Turning research into practice
Dr. Farapti shared that the program in Madiun was an extension of previous research and community engagement initiatives. Over the past five years, the UNAIR Department of Nutrition has supported elderly care efforts in Surabaya. Lessons learned from those experiences were applied in this new setting.
“We’ve developed several copyrighted materials from earlier outreach efforts, which we’re now implementing in Madiun. We provided the facility with guides on food service management, and this year, we’ve developed new resources focusing on quality care,” she concluded.
Author: Khumairok Nurisofwatin
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
