NEW SNAP APPLICATION HELPS SENIORS

More than a year after Pennsylvanian rolled out a simplified SNAP application process for senior citizens, more than 350,000 elders have used the new tool. The Department of Human Services introduced the easier application in June 2016, changing from a 24-page form that covered multiple assistance programs to a two-page application. The streamlined enrollment is available to people age 60 or older who doesn't…. have earned income from employment. Individuals using this simplified application have to renew their application every three years, rather than annually as others must do. Because many seniors have income from Social Security, rather than a job, their income is more stable than someone whose wages, hours, and income might more frequently change.

Between June 2016, when the simplified application was introduced, and June 2017, the state saw a decrease of 1.1% in its total food stamp enrollment, but only a 0.36% decline in adults over age 60.

Source: MSN, 11/13/17, SNAP App for Seniors

SNAP MAY BE BEST PATH TO SENIORS’ HEALTH

A recent study demonstrated that access to SNAP results in fewer hospital and nursing home admissions. Researchers studied the entire population of 69,000 Maryland seniors who are on both Medicaid and Medicare (known as “dual eligibles”).  The results were remarkable.  Access to SNAP reduced a senior’s likelihood of admission into a hospital by 14% and reduced the likelihood of entrance into a nursing home by 23%.  The study also found that the more SNAP dollars seniors received for healthy food, the lower the odds they would have to spend additional days in a hospital and nursing home. And, because connecting seniors to SNAP results in lower healthcare utilization and better health, it also leads to health care savings.  The researchers estimated that connecting dual eligibles to SNAP delivers $2,100 in annual healthcare savings per senior enrolled.

Source: Philly.com, 9/26/17, SNAP Benefits Seniors

SENIOR HUNGER

Food insecurity threatened 14.7% of seniors in 2015, a slight decrease from the prior year. Researchers have documented the characteristics of the seniors who struggle with this problem. They found:

• Seniors who are racial or ethnic minorities, low-income, or younger vs. older (age 60-69 vs. age 80+) were most likely to be affected.
• Seniors with a disability were disproportionately affected, with 38% reporting marginal food security.
• Senior food insecurity rates vary by state, ranging from 6.1% in North Dakota to 24.3% in Mississippi. Connecticut’s rate was 14.2%

Food insecurity adversely affects a person’s health, and the implications can be particularly problematic for seniors. Compared to food-secure seniors, food-insecure seniors: (1) consume fewer calories and lower quantities of key nutrients and (2) are more likely to experience negative health conditions, including depression, asthma, and chest pain

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 9/18/17, Senior Hunger

HOW FOOD INSECURITY IMPACTS SENIORS

Because of limited financial resources, food-insecure adults often need to stretch constrained budgets. The strategies they use--forgoing medical care; purchasing low-cost, nutrient-poor foods; and making trade-offs between food and other basic necessities, such as medication--can harm their health. Older adults experiencing food insecurity have lower overall dietary quality than their food-secure counterparts. They consume fewer calories, less protein, and fewer essential vitamins and minerals when compared to their food-secure peers. Research shows that older adults who are food insecure are more likely to experience diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, gum disease, and limitations on activities of daily living, among other negative health outcomes. Additionally, compared to their food-secure counterparts, older adults struggling against food insecurity are at higher risk of depression.  Often, food-insecure older adults have more doctor’s office visits and emergency room visits, and more frequent hospitalizations.

Source: Food Research & Action Council, 5/19/17, Senior Food Insecurity

May is "Older Americans Month," so it seemed a good time to think about hunger and food insecurity among our seniors.

Nationally, 15.8 million households are food insecure, including 2.9 million households with at least one adult aged 65 or older. Millions more households with seniors face marginal food security.

1.2 million seniors who lived alone were food insecure in 2015, and approximately 548,000 of these seniors were experiencing very low food insecurity.

Ten percent, or 4.6 million, of seniors age 65 and over lived at or below the poverty level in 2014.

Source: Food Research & Action Council, 5/1/17, Senior Hunger

A MONTH FOR SENIOR HUNGER AWARENESS

More than 10 million Americans age 50 and older are at risk of hunger every day. The AARP Foundation has designated as April Senior Hunger Awareness Month as a way to highlight the issues of food insecurity and hunger among seniors. It has created  educational resources like "30 Hunger Action Items" to encourage people to take simple steps to help combat hunger in their communities. Denny's is showing its support via an in-store donation drive. For all AARP members who dine at participating Denny's restaurants and show their membership card during April, Denny's will donate 25 cents to AARP Foundation (up to $250,000).

Source: PRNewswire, 4/5/17, Senior Hunger Awareness Month

Farmers market assistance for seniors

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced that $2 million in Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks are now available for eligible individuals across the state. The program provides checks to low-income New Yorkers age 60 and older to purchase $20 worth of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables from participating local farmers’ markets and farm stands. For the first time, program benefits are being provided on an individual basis instead of per household, expanding the reach of the program to more older New Yorkers.

Commissioner Ball said, “Governor Cuomo has made it a priority to ensure thousands of New Yorkers have access to fresh, healthy foods at affordable prices through programs like the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. By implementing this new policy that will provide checks redeemable at a participating farmers’ market to individuals rather than by household, even more seniors will be able to take advantage of the program this year, whilesupporting the hundreds of farmers that take part in the community markets.”

In upstate communities, checks are now available at county area Offices for the Aging. Older adults can also access checks at the following Commodity Supplemental Food 

Approximately 120,000 booklets consisting of five $4.00 checks will be distributed this year, allowing for the purchase of fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables from 950 farmers vending at over 600 farmers’ markets and farm stands across the state. A pocket folder with instructions on how and where to use the checks to purchase fresh, local fruits and vegetables from farmers at the market will be included with each booklet. Checks can be used at participating farmers’ markets and farm stands through November 30 of this year.

The Senior FMNP is administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, in cooperation with the New York State Office for the Aging, the New York City Department for the Aging and the New York State Department of Health. For the second consecutive year, additional funding has been provided in the New York State Budget to expand the United States Department of Agriculture’s program.  Nutrition education is provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Eligible recipients must be age 60 or older and meet the income eligibility requirement—$1,832 or less per month for a single or $2,470 per month for a couple— or affirm that they are currently receiving or eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or public assistance or Section 8 housing subsidy. Recipients cannot have received Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program checks from any other location.

MANY SENIORS ARE MALNOURISHED

Six percent of the elderly who live at home in the US and in other developed countries are malnourished; the rate doubles among those in nursing homes, where it is 14%, according to a 2010 study. Malnutrition increases older adults’ risk of illness, frailty, and infection. Malnourished people visit the doctor and are admitted to the hospital more often, have longer hospital stays, and recover more slowly from surgery. Not surprisingly, financial hardship is a central cause of elder malnutrition. According to a 2014 report from the AARP Foundation, nearly 9 million older people in the US can’t afford nutritious food. About 25% of low-income adults 65 and older say they’ve reduced the size of their meals or have skipped meals because they didn’t have enough money. Many eligible seniors don’t receive food assistance. The AARP report found that only 13% of elders eligible for SNAP receive it. One way to increase assistance programs’ use might be to inform hospital patients about them when they are discharged. A recent survey found that only 6% of hospitalized elderly people received information about SNAP, and only 3% received information about group meals or meal deliveries to homebound seniors.

Source: WBUR, 11/26/15, Elder Malnutrition

AARP HELPS SNAP PARTICIPANTS BUY FRUIT

Here's a unique new program idea...

Thanks to a $3.3 million grant from USDA and a $1 million contribution from UnitedHealthcare, the AARP is helping SNAP recipients in the Memphis, TN area buy more fruits and vegetables. Shoppers at select Kroger grocery stores and farmers markets in the region who buy between $10 and $20 in fresh fruits and vegetables using a SNAP electronic benefit card will receive a 50%-off coupon for use for their next purchase. Each SNAP household can receive two coupons a month.

Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal, 11/4/14, AARP Discount on Produce

HOME DELIVERY TO SNAP BENEFICIARIES MAY BE COMING

Several years go, Fresh Direct, an online fresh food order and delivery service, launched a pilot program in the Bronx that enabled low-income residents to use their SNAP benefits for purchases and have them delivered for free. Apparently, the company views the experiment as a success, presumably because the profits from the additional purchases at least offset the costs. Last year’s Farm Bill allows government and nonprofit organizations to accept SNAP benefits for home-delivered food.  They can accept the benefits only for food delivered to households headed by someone who’s at least 60 years old or disabled and “unable to shop for food.” Organizations can charge for delivery, but no more than $20 at any one time. They can also set an order minimum up to $50. In mid-July, USDA proposed a rule to reflect the law. At the same time, it said it would soon seek up to 20 food purchasing and delivery services for a one-year pilot.

Source:  Poverty & Policy, 10/29/15, Home Delivery

Baby Boomers and Hunger: A new report

Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger after Fifty takes a close look at the unique health, economic and nutritional challenges of older adults between the ages of 50 and 64. This recent research study from Feeding America, with help from an AARP Foundation Grant, highlights how "pre-seniors" are more vulnerable to hunger than older seniors since they don't yet qualify for safety net programs like Medicare and Social Security. This research aims to explore the circumstances of older adults and their households who utilize the Feeding America network of food banks.

NEW WAYS TO MEET ELDERLY, DISABLED NUTRITION NEEDS

USDA is proposing to improve access to groceries for homebound seniors and people with disabilities who participate in SNAP.  For the first time, it is planning to permit government agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide grocery purchasing and delivery services to accept SNAP benefits as payment, thus allowing for home delivery to those unable to shop for food. The proposed rule outlines eligibility and participation criteria and seeks comments from stakeholders. USDA will soon begin seeking up to 20 food purchasing and delivery services to participate in a one-year pilot program. Source: USDA, 7/13/15, SNAP Home Delivery

Busting myths about seniors and SNAP

USDA PROPOSES HEALTHIER FARE

For the first time in nearly 50 years, USDA is proposing an overhaul to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that includes more vegetables and less sugar . The guidelines were developed with guidance by experts in order to stem rising child obesity rates. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 called for such changes. The program feeds about 3.8 million young children, and 120,000 elderly or disabled adults daily through day-care centers and senior programs.

Source: ABC News, 6/27/15,  Healthy Meals

MORE SENIORS GOING HUNGRY

While the U.S. economy adds jobs and the financial markets steadily improve, a growing number of seniors are having trouble keeping food on the table. In 2013, 9.6 million Americans over the age of 60—or one of every six older men and women—could not reliably buy or access food at least part of the year, according to a new analysis. Across the country, the rate of food insecurity among seniors has more than doubled since 2001, according to the National Council on Aging. And it is projected to climb even further as the Baby Boom generation gets older. Researchers who study the trend say the causes of the increase in senior hunger are complicated and overlap and include the logistical challenges of getting to a grocery store for seniors who can no longer drive or endure long rides on public transportation due to illness, disability, or dementia; and medical expenses, which increase steadily as people age and often use up larger portions of seniors’ incomes, money that otherwise might be used on groceries.

Source: CNN Money, 5/26/15, Senior Hunger

Fighting senior hunger

May is older American's month and a good time for all of us to reflect on this issue  of hunger among our senior citizens.

Last year, across the country, the Feeding America network provided 563 million meals to seniors age 60 and above through special programs including the Senior Grocery Program, Mobile Pantry Program, Senior Cafes, multi-generational meal and food programs and partner programs that focus on feeding seniors who are homebound.

According to Feeding America's recent study, Hunger in America 2014, more than half of all seniors report having to make tradeoffs, sometimes having to choose between purchasing food or paying for healthcare or prescriptions, paying for food or transportation, and paying for food or utilities.

Although Feeding America, the Food Bank of Central New York, and our local food pantries are working to ensure vulnerable seniors do not have to make these difficult choices, charity alone cannot solve senior hunger.

Go here to learn more about the issue and find resources to get started solving senior hunger.

Random thoughts

Some random things heard this week...

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WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and

Children) ow serves 50% of the babies born in New York State.

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1 out of 6 New York State residents struggled to
afford enough food in 2014.

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1 in 5 children in New York State live in households that lack access to

enough nutritionally adequate food to live an active, healthy life.

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1 in 13 seniors (60+) in New York State are at risk of hunger.

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And not another statistic, but truly a thought on the issue...

The opposite of hunger is not fullness, it is health.

If we care about the health of our communities' children, our workforce, and our seniors, ensuring adequate healthy food for all is a good first step!

10 MILLION SENIORS FACE HUNGER

Nearly 10 million seniors faced the threat of hunger in 2013, that’s 15.5% of Americans age 60 and over. Between 2007 and 2013, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has increased by 56%. Seniors living in the South and Southwest, those who are racial or ethnic minorities, those with lower incomes, and those who are younger (ages 60-69) are most likely to be threatened by hunger. Most of those seniors who face the threat of hunger are white and have incomes above the poverty line.

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 4/23/15, Senior Hunger

MANY SENIORS ARE MALNOURISHED

Malnutrition is a growing problem among older Americans. Of the millions of older adults admitted to the hospital every year, at least one in three is malnourished upon admission. And about half of older adults in rehabilitation settings are malnourished, which may place them at higher risk for malnutrition. Further, patients who enter the hospital malnourished have heightened risks of poorer health outcomes, including longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, greater complication and readmission rates, and higher mortality rates. A variety of factors contribute to this situation, according to a Gerontological Society of America paper: taste disturbances, difficulty accessing or preparing food because of functional limitations or cognitive decline, anxiety, depression, bereavement, and poverty all may cause older individuals to eat less.

Source: Huffington Post, 3/18/15, Senior Malnutrition

SNAP AND THE ELDERLY

A growing number of seniors are at risk for food insecurity. They are struggling to have enough resources to pay for food, which often leads to them to choose lower quality, less expensive food. Unfortunately, only 35.1% of eligible seniors participate in SNAP. Studies suggest that these low SNAP participation rates are due to lack of awareness about eligibility, stigma associated with receiving benefits, low average benefit levels, high costs in navigating the application process (e.g., difficulty getting to application sites), and less need for SNAP than other groups. A new report outlines the problems and potential solutions.

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 3/6/15, SNAP and Seniors