Vermont Seniors are Going Hungry

After a lifetime of work, many elderly Vermonters are trying to live on fixed incomes that are not enough to pay for heat, medicine, housing and healthy food.  Those who work with seniors report going into homes with thermostats set at 50° with little food in the cupboard. Meals on Wheels drivers often discover that the meal is being shared by grandchildren as there is no other food in the house.  These experiences are supported by US Census data that shows 1 in 9 Vermont seniors facing the threat of hunger, according to a recent report released by the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH).  Nationally, the extent of hunger among seniors has more than doubled in the last ten years, as costs have risen and the recession has cut jobs and hours, forcing seniors into retirement early and with less savings. 

The nutrition programs that could help alleviate hunger, Meals on Wheels and Congregate Meals (or Community Meals), are funded under the Older Americans Act and have been level-funded for the past 3 years as the legislation has stalled in Congress.  Level funding amounts to a cut as the cost of running these programs and demand have continued to rise. The sequestration cuts in the last year resulted in further cuts to these critical nutrition programs.  Some Meals on Wheels providers have had to cut the meals they provide to one day.

As hunger has grown so has the number of seniors; baby boomers are moving into old age, further increasing the need. Senator Sanders, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, is championing the nutrition programs in the Older American’s Act and encouraging Congress to take up the legislation.  These nutrition programs have been shown to be very effective in keeping seniors healthy, out of the hospital, and living independently in their homes. Investing in nutrition programs is cost effective; for the cost of an average hospital stay for a senior, that same person could get home-delivered meals for about five years.

Many elderly Vermonters struggling with hunger suffer silently, without reaching out to their families or neighbors. Hunger Free Vermont has been working with local communities to raise awareness about the challenges so many of our seniors face and to help more seniors access these important services. Passing a new Older Americans Act that addresses the increased costs and demands of helping seniors access healthy meals is a big step in providing for seniors in need.