Senior Citizens & Food Safety

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne illness is common, costly, and preventable. The CDC estimates that 1 in 6 Americans get sick each year from contaminated food or beverages, and 3,000 die from foodborne illness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that foodborne illnesses cost the United States more than $15.6 billion annually. As a result of weakened immune systems, adults aged 65 and older are even more susceptible to foodborne illness. 

To address this problem and work to prevent foodborne illness among some of the most vulnerable in Casey County, the Casey County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) Assistant delivered 7-weekly nutrition and food safety lessons to seniors at the Casey County Senior Center. Using the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum developed by the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program, the SNAP-Ed Assistant focused on teaching senior citizens correct techniques in handwashing, properly handling foods, and thawing foods appropriately. The SNAP-Ed Assistant also taught seniors lessons on preparing nutritious meals, food resource management skills, and making better beverage choices. 

 As a result of this program, evaluation data shows that 75% of the senior citizens who attended the lessons made positive changes in hand washing before preparing foods, cleaning items and surfaces more often, thawing foods appropriately, and using a meat thermometer more often. The data also stated that over 88% of the group made positive changes in food resource management. By learning and applying these skills, the seniors have improved their overall health and can confidently prevent foodborne illnesses.