WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 2, 2021 13
How the pandemic made seniors more food-insecure than ever
BY TANIA COLLAZO
The holiday season is oft en a time
for generations of families to
come together, eat their favorite
family meals and spend some quality
time together. But for many, this
time of year is a painful reminder of
the isolation they face and the food
insecurity they struggle with. In fact,
one in eight older New Yorkers are
unsure where their next meal will
come from.
The pandemic shined a light on
the reality of senior isolation, many
of whom also face a lack of regular
access to food. We can and must do
more as a society to fi ght this pervasive
issue, especially around the
holidays.
Food insecurity is a growing issue
in New York and the United States
that particularly affl icts low-income
individuals and seniors. Across
the US, 7.3 million older adults are
struggling with reliable access to
nutritious food. Older adults of color,
as well as older adults with disabilities,
are three times as likely to be
food-insecure.
There is a proven array of negative
physical and mental health outcomes
that seniors face due to food insecurity.
Food-insecure seniors were
more likely to have depression (262%),
asthma (78%), diabetes (74%) and congestive
heart failure (71%), further
adding to their health struggles.
Across New York, older adults are
oft en overlooked as one of our city’s
most vulnerable groups, causing
needed programs to be underfunded,
meaning older New Yorkers don’t get
the resources they need.
Since the onset of COVID, the economic
fallout and lack of federal fi -
nancial response, funding shortages
have been seen across the board in
diff erent sectors among the nonprofi t
community. This is especially evident
in food pantries, soup kitchens and
mobile pantries. They have had the
biggest blow with 35% of their doors
closing aft er the pandemic hit.
New York must be a city that enables
older adults to age with dignity
and purpose. That means long-term
investment in programs that feed
our seniors and most vulnerable, like
Citymeals on Wheels, Food Bank for
NYC, NYC Foundation for Senior Citizens,
Encore Community Services,
NY Common Pantry and more.
The pandemic has only heightened
the urgency to act. Already facing
food insecurity and isolation, the
pandemic exacerbated both. Older
adults who were already homebound
received even fewer visitors and less
access to both their community and
OP-ED
the support of the outside world. For
many who were previously able to
support themselves, the pandemic
made it dangerous to leave their
homes to acquire food, leaving them
dependent on others.
To help address this issue among
older adults in NYC, JASA, the go-to
agency serving older adults in NYC,
has established programming that
provides home-delivered meals to
its residents. Through this program,
JASA provided over 1 million meals
to New York seniors last year alone.
The number and operation itself is
staggering and saves lives. But while
food delivery workers have always
been trained to monitor for signs of
issues and when to call 911, JASA’s
delivery team has taken on a more
pronounced role of checking in and
being the wellness lifeline for many
older adults, for whom the JASA staff
are the only people they’ll interact
with in person.
For seniors who couldn’t and still
can’t leave their homes due to the
pandemic, the nutritious meals and
the delivery staff provide a bridge to
the outside world. The food provides
them with the nutrients to survive,
while the staff provides them an
opportunity — sometimes the only
chance in their day — to converse
with someone. This isn’t just a chat to
break up the day, but it also supports
their mental health and gives the staff
a chance to ensure the older adults
are safe and healthy by observing
any potential signs of need.
As older adults continue to become
a larger percentage of our population,
ensuring our seniors have
access to nutritious, tasty food will
remain a critical challenge for New
York City and the rest of the country.
This holiday season, we must not
forget those isolated in their homes.
Everyone can step up in helping
our most vulnerable neighbors.
Whether it is donating food directly
or supporting meals programs, or
just checking in on older New Yorkers,
we can make sure this holiday
season, everyone is connected and
no one goes hungry.
Tania Collazo is director of the
Queens Home Delivered Meals Program
and chef supervisor at JASA.
SNAPS
TAI CHI IN MACDONALD PARK
PHOTO BY JOE ABATE
Send us your photos of Queens
and you could see them online or in our paper!
To submit them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram,
visit our Facebook page, tweet @QNS
or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link