Whether you live alone or with family and friends, whether you are older or younger, not knowing what your next meal is, or where it will come from, can have serious impacts on one’s body, mind, and overall well-being.
InnovAge, the largest provider of the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in the U.S., exists to care for older adults and elevate senior independence by providing deep support and compassion to help preserve older adults’ dignity and autonomy. Helping seniors maintain a healthy diet, while being mindful of the accessibility and cost of food, is a priority for InnovAge.
Food insecurity is a difficult and scary reality for many seniors. InnovAge works to understand individual needs, their environments, and financial situations, to help seniors eat better and have better access to healthier meals.
Mary McHale, a veteran registered dietitian from InnovAge Pennsylvania’s LIFE Henry Avenue center knows that food insecurity is an issue for the aging. McHale is trained to understand all of the changes that an older body goes through. She works to accommodate the individual needs of participants – be it independently in their homes, or during each of their regularly scheduled visits to the center.
“The first thing that I want to identify with any of our participants is who is most at risk for malnutrition, those most lacking in nutritional care, and who is most in need of any nutrition services,” says McHale.
When this dietician does her initial assessment of any new InnovAge participant, McHale needs to know everything: from living arrangements (with whom, what setting), to one’s sense of support, to how, when, and where they shop for groceries.
“I want to know if and how they access food in their community, or if they have support from their community,” says McHale. “Do they have food allergies or issues with swallowing? Do they, or can they, order food online? Do they, or can they, shop in-person or with someone they trust? Are they able to cook, or are they hindered, perhaps, by not being able to stand, use their arms and hands, or do they have issues with dementia? How will they be able to get through their day, every day?”
As a center-based program with outreach in the home, McHale will do everything from monthly grocery trips to signing up elder participants for Meals on Wheels. These same participants are encouraged to come into InnovAge’s Henry Avenue center – not just for a sense of community and activities, but for healthy breakfasts, hot lunches, and snacks in accordance with each participants’ needs and physical requirements.
“If they’re losing weight due to a medical condition, I’ll put them on a supplement to increase their calories,” says McHale. “If they’re overweight, I’ll adjust their diet to help with that or if they have diabetes high blood pressure, or in-stage renal disease, McHale also works directly with Henry Avenue’s on-site dental office (for issues with say, food texture) along with InnovAge’s clinical staff, including doctors and nurses, for scheduled and unscheduled visits.
“Weighing people on a regular basis tells me a lot about their health, and what care we need to provide,” McHale says. InnovAge’s Henry Avenue center also has a psychologist on staff if dietary issues, food insecurity, and weight need to be discussed, or if their emotional state effects their eating or dietary choices.
A June 2024 report from the National Council on Aging states that, in 2022, nearly 7 million older Americans were found to be food insecure – a number that could rise to 9 million by 2050. A more recent report from the American Heart Association (Dec 2024) reminds us of the changes that occur as people grow older and how age, “affects how our bodies digest and, use the food we eat,” along with what nutritional requirements must be met for people over 60 to stay healthy.
“Muscle mass and strength… decline more rapidly in the 60s. Losing muscle contributes to the slower rate at which the body uses calories. Physical activity levels also typically drop as people grow older. Bones begin to thin. And people may be less mobile and more sedentary.”
And the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published reports claiming that food insecurity now reaches 9.3% of U.S. households which include adults, aged 65 or older.
McHale’s most important role at InnovAge is being available to the InnovAge enrolled seniors that she helps.
“I’m here, and visible to them on a daily basis,” she says. “Maybe someone has a question about sodium intake and reading labels. Maybe they have a problem swallowing. My people know they can grab me anytime they need me, and talk. The main reason I am here – why everyone who works with me at InnovAge is here – is to take care of our participants. I wouldn’t have been here for ten years-and-counting, if it wasn’t for our participants.”
Sponsored content produced in partnership with InnovAge
