Literature Review Overview It is estimated that more than five million senior citizens over the age of 60 face hunger (senior hunger). After a lifetime of hard work many seniors experience struggles with health, or income. Seniors face a number of difficulties as they age, seniors have needs whether it be medical or concerning mobility or lack thereof. A lot of the time seniors are too embarrassed to ask for help because of the fact that they do not want to even acknowledge that they need help. Hunger vs. Food Insecurity According to a journal written by Sarah Strickhouser, “Hunger is a physiological state, hunger describes the physical pain and discomfort an individual experience, food insecurity is a social, cultural or economic states and as such, is simpler to conceptualize and measure” food insecurity is a much bigger problem, and exceeds the standard definition of “hunger.” Even when the elderly has food, the quality of the food does not meet their nutritional needs and to say that these people are “hungry” is maybe implying that there is a much greater degree of need. Why are Seniors Food Insecure? “The face of senior hunger is not necessarily someone out begging for food, it is the person you pass in Walmart, it is the person you sit next to in church, it is the person you pass on the sidewalk, it is the little old lady who is struggling to get to her mailbox and back,” (Senior and Food). There are many reasons as to why the elderly are food insecure. Food
What may be hard to see is that hunger is everywhere. Yes, hunger is in Africa and third-world countries, but also in the United States. Childhood hunger is nearly a bigger issue than overall hunger in the United States. Studies show that hunger among children has a higher percentage than hunger as a whole (Feeding America 28). It is found that children suffer from food insecurity in every county in the United States (Feeding America 30). It is easy to sit back and think that everyone has the financial and physical means to find food, but they do not. Over thirty percent of all children (under the age of eighteen) in New Mexico live in food insecure households; this state has the highest percent in the entire United States (Feeding America
After reading the extensive “The New Face of Hunger” (Tracie McMillan), my eyes became more open to the overall issue of hunger, faced by many people today. In a few words, I was absolutely shocked by the true meaning and examples provided of what exactly food insecurity is. Honestly speaking, when I hear the word “hunger” I think of a human who has no food, living on the streets. “The New Face of hunger” brought to my attention that food insecurity is much more than simply having no food. In fact, “In 2006 the U.S. government replaced “hunger” with the term “food insecure” to describe any household where, sometime during the previous year, people didn’t have enough food to eat” (The New Face of Hunger). Not only was I able to see the harsh
Nowadays, hunger is not only linked with food it is also related to the family income level, also, it represents the feeling of starving to the time that it is disturbing or even frustrating. Oxford dictionary define hunger as “A feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat.” Indeed, most people would admit that when someone is starving, they are not performing to their absolute potential. This sense of resentment and anger when one is craving for food is prompted by a decline in the body’s blood- glucose level. In this case if the level declines, the human brain will recognize it as a threatening situation. The leading cause of hunger among
More people are living much longer lives than in years past. People are very surprised to be living much longer lives than they thought they would. Health care has played a large part in patient longevity. There are many normal changes that come along with aging, however, because people are living longer these normal changes can become chronic problems. Common aging problems that can make the older adult a vulnerable population are reviewed in Gerontological Nursing (Tabloski, 2014) and can include nutritional needs, medication management, sleep changes, oral or mouth care, renal problems and musculoskeletal concerns. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2013 (http://www.hhs.gov), there are a large amount
As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.
The demographic characteristics of the senior population has been changing over time. The rise in diversity and the geographic placement of seniors can provide an opportunity to examine their use of the social program SNAP. Characteristics of food insecurity such a geography and race correlate with higher rates of food insecurity and as these same characteristics continue to grow in the senior population. Since seniors have the lowest rates of SNAP participation versus other age groups, and their rates of food insecurity continue to grow it is important to examine what characteristics impact the likelihood of SNAP take up among this population.
In recent years, there has been research involving the causes and consequences of poor nutrition among the elderly. Researchers continually work to distinguish risk factors of inadequate nutrition; the factors of most concern are “poor appetite, functional limitations, limited income, and social isolation” (Lirette, Podovennikoff, Wismer, Tondu, Klatt, 2007). Individuals at highest risk are those who live at home with a lack of family support (Krondl, Coleman, Lau, 2008). The diets of many elderly people are often low in calories and lacking important nutrients. All of these factors can affect the health and quality of life in the older adult. Nutrition plays a significant role in the health of
Imagine your stomach growling, a feeling of emptiness, fatigue, and an inability to concentrate. Most people would associate these feelings with hunger and eat. Unfortunately, many Americans do not have the luxury of eating because of living in poverty. According to the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of people living in poverty rose from 31.6 million in 2000 to 36.5 million in 2006. The number of people living in households facing food insecurity rose from 31 million in 1999 to 35.5 million in 2006. More than 12 million of the people living in food insecure households were children (Labue, 2009). Food America (2017) reports:
America has evolved in the rate at which people are going hungry and the concern as to why this is occurring. The perceptions that have been made by individuals is the fact that the people that are going hungry are the homeless. These people are said to be generally unemployed and don’t have the necessities that others inquire. Many don’t think about the people that have jobs and families, but just don’t make enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. America has had this perception on what “hunger” is, but now that same perception is changing. It doesn’t matter who the people are, but rather how the hunger in America has changed over the years. In the article, “Shift to ‘Food
Here is a food for thought: Is food hunger affecting your community? Most of us wake up every day, eat breakfast, go through our usual work routine just to come home and eat dinner without a single thought of anything different. Some of us, however, wake up not knowing when or where our next meal will come next. Solano County is not innocent in this situation. Behind the cities and landscapes, the majority does not realize the abundance of people who cannot afford a sufficient meal for themselves. Impoverished families are facing devastating health conditions since their low wages cannot support themselves to live or eat. Even in the small agricultural land of Solano County, hunger is a severe problem that should not be overlooked.
What is Hunger and Malnutrition? Hunger is when our body is hungry that need food, and malnutrition is not the same thing as hunger, although they often go together. When people are picky to eat can cause hunger to them-self self and causes your body to grow different than at the normal rate of age range. People can cause Chronic hunger to him/herself, and is almost the same things that the Chronic hunger come and go in the human body (like diseases). Chronic hunger can cause significant health problems, and cause people to be underweight. When people hunger over the long time can lead to malnutrition, but someone can become malnourished for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger. “Chronic hunger are the diseases and conditions of things that prevent people from digesting or absorbing their food properly.” What it means that the Chronic hunger is not good to people body, because it stop people to digesting and
Senior people, just like everyone else, need to eat properly to maintain health. Eating well can improve mental acuteness, resistance to illness, and energy levels. You have to maintain a healthy diet to have a positive outlook and being emotionally balanced. We, ExPO Signature Home Care, a home health care agency in New Jersey, helps our senior maintain a healthy diet is by providing them with of Go, Grow, and Glow foods.
Nutritional well-being plays an essential role in the overall health, independence, and quality of life of older persons as well as disabled persons. This nation has a responsibility to at risk populations such as the elderly. Today, there are close to 6 million seniors in the United States facing the threat of hunger. Some of these citizens were raised during the Great Depression, they went on to protect our independence in the Second World War and won the cold war. America's older citizens have been called the greatest generation by many. It is morally wrong that the citizens that built this country should suffer starvation in this land of plenty, which they helped to form. Our country
The result of not eating enough nutritious food leads to the problem of senior malnutrition. It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of seniors over 65 are malnourished. This number jumps dramatically for those in nursing homes. That is not to say that the nursing homes do not prepare nutritious foods, but that many seniors in nursing homes have more severe medical problems.
As people age they develop many special needs related to the later period of life. Many elderly people have specific physical needs where adaptations to their home are necessary or where they need specific equipment for self care. Old age also brings new emotional challenges for the elderly person when the family can be useful in helping to meet the persons mental health needs. Senior citizens experience needs in their social life; they also experience the need for activities with other seniors. Health needs also negatively affect the elderly and cause multiple physical problems. Every elderly person experiences needs that are related to each of these areas.