Food Safety for Seniors

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne infection and illness in the United States each year.  Many of these people are older adults who have other conditions and weakened immune systems, so they are more susceptible to contracting foodborne illness.

It is especially important for older adults to use safe food preparation and handling practices because they have a higher risk of getting sick, and require a longer time to recover.   Over the last year, Healthy Choices for Everybody was presented to seniors and disabled adults living in an income based apartment complex by the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program Assistant in Muhlenberg County.   Ten of the residents completed the classes, 9 women and 1 man.  They each had a variety of health related issues; heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, so all were concerned about Food Safety.    Nine of the ten participants reported improvements in at least one Food Safety Practices upon exit from the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program.

Over a course of nine lessons, participants were taught about cross contamination, to cook food to safe temperatures, to refrigerate foods promptly, and thaw frozen foods correctly.  Food Safety was a part of each lesson.  Keeping the kitchen clean, handwashing before food preparation,  thawing foods in the refrigerator,  and refrigerate or freeze all perishable foods were among the Food Safety lessons taught to the group of seniors.  At the conclusion of each of these lessons participants were given items to reinforce the Food Safety lesson taught: red and green cutting boards to reinforce the lesson on cross contamination, food thermometers were given to check that food was cooked thoroughly, an insulated bag was given to keep foods cold, and refrigerator magnets to serve as a visual for how long foods can be kept.

One participant reported a change in putting cold foods back in the refrigerator, six seniors reported a change in the way they thaw meat, always thawing in the refrigerator in a dripping pan, and two participants reported a positive change in both of the areas listed above.

In conclusion, the positive impact reported by seniors enrolled in the Healthy Choices program will promote having a food safe kitchen, food safe handling practices, and food safe preparation practices. They will be less likely to contract a foodborne illnesses.