Starving Seniors: How America Fails To Feed Its Aging

[left-of-center2012]

Millions of seniors across the country quietly go hungry as the safety net designed to catch them frays. Nearly 8% of Americans 60 and older were “food insecure” in 2017, according to a recent study released by the anti-hunger group Feeding America. That’s 5.5 million seniors who don’t have consistent access to enough food for a healthy life.

While the plight of hungry children elicits support and can be tackled in schools, the plight of hungry older Americans is shrouded by isolation and a generation’s pride. And government relief falls short. One of the main federal programs helping seniors is starved for money. The Older Americans Act was amended in 1972 to provide for home-delivered and group meals, along with other services, for anyone 60 and older. But its funding has lagged far behind senior population growth, as well as economic inflation.

The biggest chunk of the act’s budget, nutrition services, dropped by 8% over the past 18 years when adjusted for inflation, an AARP report found in February. Home-delivered and group meals have decreased by nearly 21 million since 2005. Only a fraction of those facing food insecurity get any meal services under the act; a U.S. Government Accountability Office report examining 2013 data found 83% got none. With the act set to expire Sept. 30, Congress is now considering its reauthorization and how much to spend going forward.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 45% of eligible adults 60 and older have signed up for another source of federal aid: SNAP, the food stamp program for America’s poorest. Those who don’t are typically either unaware they could qualify, believe their benefits would be tiny or can no longer get to a grocery store to use them. Even fewer seniors may have SNAP in the future. More than 13% of SNAP households with elderly members would lose benefits under a recent Trump administration proposal.

https://khn.org/news/starving-seniors-how-america-fails-to-feed-its-aging/

[Stuart G]

1. K and R..no text

[tblue37]

2. The Republicans are all about getting rid of what they consider to be "useless eaters" and "takers."

That was Paul Ryan's great dream, and it is why Charles Pierce always called Ryan the "zombie-eyed granny starver."

[virgogal]

3. The application process for an EBT card is very difficult.

I first applied a month ago....sent copies of bank statements and taxes....and keep getting mailings for more “proof” of something. I am about to give up.I am 85 years old.

[left-of-center2012]

6. Fairly easy in New Mexico

And it can be done online.
I guess each state handles it differently.

[elocs]

4. I just got back this morning from my food pantry's "food fair".

You can go to the food pantry once a month when you choose and then once a month there is a food fair where everyone who as visited the pantry during the month can all line up on a Saturday morning to get whatever they may have.

Even though I am a retired senior and my income is under the 100% federal poverty level and I live in my own house I only get $24/month in food stamps. When there was a SS COLA last January my food stamps got cut by $11 since I was getting more money each month, like food is getting cheaper.
The last time I had an interview to get my food share renewed I told the social worker that if this keeps up I will owe them money for food.

But I have learned as a poor senior citizen to scratch and scrape and jump through all the hoops I need to jump through to get whatever I'm eligible to receive.

[left-of-center2012]

5. "I only get $24/month in food stamps"

I get $25 a month.
I let it roll over until I have $100 to shop with on the card.
Otherwise I use my meager Social

[llmart]

7. $25 a month?

That's an insult! I am ashamed of my country when I read stuff like this. It's hard enough being a senior citizen but having to live on that is unconscionable.