According to the Population Reference Bureau, between 2020 and 2060, the number of older adults is projected to increase by 69 percent, from 56.0 million to 94.7 million. These numbers represent mainly an aging Baby Boomer population and longer life expectancies. Unfortunately, along with this comes many seniors facing hunger. For Texas, the food insecure senior population is currently around 10 percent. That means an estimated 350,000 Texas seniors are not sure where their next meal is coming from.
Seniors are commonly overlooked as a population that faces hunger because of their higher rates of isolation and the stigma they may feel in asking for help. This population increasingly has fewer extended family living nearby, and many more than before are divorced and living alone. Some seniors have mobility issues, so getting out of their home can be a challenge. Additionally, hunger advocates regularly focus more advocacy efforts on children because of their vulnerability and inability to change their household circumstances. The story of senior hunger isn’t told often enough.
Nevertheless, senior hunger is a significant issue with many consequences. Seniors often have underlying chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis which are only exacerbated by poor nutrition. AARP reports that seniors face a healthcare bill of more than $130 billion every year due to medical issues stemming from senior hunger.
The increase in senior food insecurity is closely tied to a decrease in wages and overall net worth after the recession in the late 2000s. University of Illinois Researcher Craig Gundersen has stated that many seniors lost mass amounts of money when the stock markets crashed, and as they were entering retirement, they didn’t have the time to recover. “Most of them can’t rely on Social Security income, and can’t receive Medicare until they are 65,” Gundersen said.
Some federal initiatives attempt to remedy this situation. The Older Americans Act provides funding for congregate and home-delivered meal programs as well as health promotion and disease prevention programs to improve health and manage chronic disease. However, funding has historically lagged far behind senior population growth, as well as economic inflation. This has resulted in a decrease of both home-delivered and group meals. It should be noted that the last reauthorization of the Older Americans Act in Spring of 2020 did provide some increased funding for these programs.
Other programs that are designed to address senior hunger include the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), the adult portion of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). CSFP provides nutritious, shelf-stable foods and nutrition education to low income seniors, distributed through public and nonprofit local agencies. CACFP provides reimbursable meals to non-residential senior day care centers. SFMNP offers vouchers that seniors can redeem at their local farmers markets for fresh produce, herbs, and honey.
Of all federal nutrition programs, SNAP remains the most effective way to address senior hunger. SNAP allows seniors purchasing power to buy foods they prefer at the place and time of day where they feel most comfortable. With the advent of COVID-19, this is even more important as senior centers which provide meal programs have closed in many places and many grocery retailers are providing “seniors only” shopping hours. Additionally, SNAP waivers are now allowing online food purchases, a win for many homebound seniors.
Despite this, three out of five eligible seniors still do not participate in SNAP. Many of the reasons behind this include stigma, a misunderstanding of how the program works, and technology barriers to enrollment. Further, SNAP outreach efforts to seniors can take more time and effort.
What You Can Do:
- Call Senators Cornyn and Cruz and ask them to include increased SNAP funding in the next COVID-19 relief bill. See this letter signed by almost 2,500 organizations, including faith communities. Congress returns to work on July 20 and plans to resume consideration of the HEROES Act—now in the Senate. Specifically:
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- a 15 percent boost in the SNAP maximum benefit
- an increase in the SNAP monthly minimum benefit from $16 to $30; and
- a suspension of SNAP time limits and rules changes that would cut SNAP eligibility and benefits.
- Participate in outreach efforts to help seniors to enroll in SNAP. Your house of worship can do this by contacting your local food bank and asking for outreach materials or a social services specialist to help enroll people on site.
- Be aware of seniors in your community, and how you can help. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased challenges facing seniors. Here are several resources: