title: Older Americans Act Nutrition Programs: A Community-Based Nutrition Program Helping Older Adults Remain at Home.
abstract: Nutrition interventions are important as the older population, most of whom live in the community, increases in size and diversity. They are key to leading a healthy, functional life and mitigating chronic health conditions. The Older Americans Act Nutrition Program served 86.3 million congregate and 137.4 million home-delivered meals to 1.6 million and 850,000 older adults, respectively (2012). Congregate and home-delivered participants were older, poorer, sicker, more functionally impaired, and at a greater risk of institutionalization than the general U.S. older population. The Nutrition Program is publically and privately funded. About 44% of congregate and 30% of home-delivered expenditures are from federal sources, which dropped from $25 per older adult in 1990 to $12 in 2013. Despite multiple funding sources, funding is insufficient for the expanding older population. Health, nutrition, and social service professionals need to coordinate their community-based services to truly help older adults remain in their homes.
authors.affiliation: a Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Administration on Aging, Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , Washington , DC , USA.
authors.forename: Jean L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Nancy S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Wellman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005380:Financing, Government; D063427:Food Quality; D005522:Food Services / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005523:Food Supply; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006304:Health Status; D018577:Homebound Persons / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000517:prevention & control; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States
keywords: Meals on Wheels; congregate meals; home-delivered meals; hunger; malnutrition; older adults; senior centers