Happy 40th Birthday to the Older Americans Act’s Nutritional Program

When I joined Senior Community Centers 17 years ago, our nutritional program provided a nutritious lunch each day, Monday through Friday, to San Diego’s low-income seniors. For many, it was their only meal of the day. Often, I observed seniors saving the apple or banana from their tray to eat for dinner. 

But what sticks in my head to this day is a conversation I had with an 87-year-old senior by the name of John. When I asked him if he ever got hungry, he said “No, I just drink lots of water.” It became clear we needed to add a breakfast meal and provide food 365 days per year in order to keep seniors healthy.

One of the key reasons we could expand our services was because of the financial support of the Older Americans Act’s (OAA) Nutritional Program, which focuses on reducing hunger and food insecurity among older adults. Additionally, this federal nutrition program aims to promote the health and well-being of older individuals and delay adverse health conditions through access to nutrition and other disease prevention and health promotion services.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of OAA’s Nutritional Program. More than eight billion meals to seniors across the country have been served since 1972. In 2010, service providers across the country provided more than 240 million meals to nearly 2.5 million older adults to help them maintain their health. Senior Community Centers served more than 500,000 meals alone in San Diego.  

Eliminating hunger among seniors is important. Hunger does not discriminate – it affects every race, ethnic background and socioeconomic level. In 2010, the United States Department of Agriculture found about 4.6 million older adults experienced some form of food insecurity. A survey done the same year by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) of program participants found 12 percent of home-delivered meals recipients and six percent of congregate meal participants had to choose between buying food and paying for their rent or utilities. 

Currently, 40 percent of San Diego seniors lack adequate funding for food, shelter, and transportation. Yet, the outdated, official poverty measure identifies only eight percent of San Diego seniors in need of help, indicating half a million older adults in California who live alone struggle financially.

There is little debate about the link between proper nutrition and overall health. Better health allows seniors to remain independent longer. For seniors without personal resources, independence means that the tremendous financial burden of institutionalization and medical services are not transferred to their families or taxpayers.

Because of the OAA’s Nutritional Program, seniors across the nation are eating healthy meals and living their lives with dignity in challenging economic times. For that, I am grateful. However, it is important to stay vigilant and encourage our elected officials and community leaders to maintain funding support services for seniors here in San Diego and across the nation.