Food insecurity was already common in older adults before the pandemic.

image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Years ago, when I worked as an ED nurse at Bellevue Hospital, one patient who became a favorite was a charming octogenarian named Sam. He would frequently present in congestive heart failure or pulmonary edema. He always responded quickly to treatment and often just needed a bit of furosemide to get rid of excess fluid.

After one of his almost monthly admissions, we found out that Sam relied on canned soup for much of his diet. The high salt content would cause him to retain too much fluid. He knew the salt wasn’t good for him, but soup was cheap and sometimes all he could afford.

What is food insecurity?

The United States is one of the world’s richest countries, yet we know that hunger is a common problem for many people. Older adults, especially those over 65 with multiple chronic conditions and who take multiple medications, are especially at risk for food insecurity—the inability to afford healthy and nutritious food.

Hard choices for elderly on a fixed income.

Many older adults live on fixed incomes and many don’t have supplemental insurance to cover medications. Some may have to choose between paying for medication or paying for other necessities like housing and food.

Many rely on programs like Meals on Wheels or food banks, but a number of these programs were suspended, at least for a time, during the early days of […]