Rising Hunger Among Seniors Could Mean Higher Rates of Malnutrition

The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) and other health professionals cite malnutrition as "an under-recognized problem" that may be growing among older Philadelphians and other seniors across the United States, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer . Analysis by PCA Research Director Allen Glicksman shows that hunger among people 60 and older in the City of Brotherly Love climbed from 11 percent to 12.25 percent between 2015 and 2018, from 32,000 to 38,000 people. Moreover, the research showed that seniors who cannot afford meals are more likely to be sick, obese, and to have fallen in the last year. "The problem is poverty, poverty, poverty," Glicksman emphasized. Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate among the most populous U.S. cities, as well as the highest senior poverty rate. Malnutrition's association with weight loss, reduced disease immunity, frailty, and debilitation is particularly prominent among senior men and women. The Alliance for Aging Research estimates that malnutrition costs the U.S. health system about $50 billion each year. According to Defeat Malnutrition Today National Coordinator Robert Blancato, the U.S. needs to boost funding for nutrition programs that help seniors, while doctors must more accurately screen for malnutrition.