Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 118
Richard Lord
A food distribution site
in rural Buckingham
County, Virginia.
108? Chapter 3
n
add some flavor. The chicken and fish she looks forward to at the beginning of each month are
gone, and so are the collard greens and other fresh vegetables that she loves.
“Bad things happen when older people don’t get enough good food,” says Mary Jane
Koren, Vice President of the Long-Term Care Quality-Improvement Program at the Commonwealth Fund.80 They experience more complications from chronic illnesses, leading to
longer hospital stays—20 percent of people over the age of 75 have five or more chronic
illnesses.81 Malnutrition also increases the risk of falls—one in three seniors experiences a
fall every year, and 30 percent
suffer moderate to severe injury.82
“Ensuring that old people have a
balanced, nutritionally complete
diet, can reverse many of the consequences of malnutrition or outright prevent them,” says Koren.
Seniors need more health care
than other age groups, and while
Medicare covers much of their
health care costs, it doesn’t cover
all of them. In fa ???5???????????)??????????????????????????d)???????????????????????????)??????!?????(??-?????????)???????????????????????????)???????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)???????????????????????)=???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????M?????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????)M???????????????M9@?????????????????????????????????????????????????)M9@???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????%???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1????)M??????A??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????M9@??????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1?????M?????????????)??????????e??????????????????????????????!????M?????????????????)????????????????????????e?????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????)M9@??????????????????????????%???????????T?L????????????????????????????)??????????????M9@????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????)M?????????????M9@????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????q???????????????????????????????() ??????????]????%??????((0