The Nation Is Failing To Feed Our Aging Population

Kaiser Health News recently published an article that highlights a troubling national trend- the rate of older adults without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food are increasing due to an underfunded safety net. The authors cite a 2017 report released by Feeding America, suggesting that nearly 8% of Americans 60 and older (approximately 5.5 million) were “food insecure” in 2017.

A map of selected metropolitan areas (pictured below) highlights the variation between geographic regions, ranging from a high of 17% of adults age 60 or over experiencing food insecurity in Memphis to a nationwide best mark of 3% in St. Paul-Minneapolis. Both the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro area (7.4%) and Providence-Fall River-Warwick area (7.7%) fare better than the national average.

If you are interested in working on nutrition focused initiatives for older adults in Rhode Island please contact us to find out how to get involved with our Food & Nutrition workgroup.