Posted June 16, 2010
A range of nutrition initiatives over recent years has worked to put healthier foods into children’s mouths, but local advocates say there’s also concern at the other end of the age spectrum.
Terence West directs the Taft Community Center in south Stockton, where he said he worries about many seniors.
“In terms of nutrition,” he said, “we feel they don’t really get a balanced meal, which can magnify their health issues.”
For some, family food traditions mean diets too high in salt or fat, he said. For others, lack of transportation and money mean limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
“At home, what happens is, a lot of seniors are forgotten about,” West said. “If someone calls and says, ‘Do you need lunch?’ they’re going to go out and buy them Burger King.”
West has made senior nutrition a focus of this weekend’s Juneteenth event, held at the center. With help from the county’s department of aging, he is donating 100 lunches to seniors who attend, offering a model for a balanced meal.
On a daily basis, the center serves lunches to about 20 clients.
This week, while lunch was being pre-
pared, Geraldine Hollis, 68, took part in a fitness workshop in an adjacent room.
“We don’t worry about losing weight,” she said. “We worry about being fit and healthy.”
Rose Sotello, 67, was eating cantaloupe.
“I can’t make heavy food like I used to,” she said. “My body gave me that advice.”
According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, about 10 percent — or 68,000 — San Joaquin County residents are 65 or older. About 5 percent are black, 14 percent are Asian, 19 percent are Latino and 60 percent are white.
Local seniors have a median income of a little more than $56,000, which for the majority, includes Social Security money. About 10 percent live in poverty.
All of those factors influence a senior’s diet, said Federico Navarro, a nutritionist with the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton/ San Joaquin County.
People are reluctant to take advantage of free food programs if meals don’t include familiar tastes, he said. Lack of money and, especially, transportation can make buying healthy foods a challenge.
“A lot of them are on fixed incomes,” Navarro said. “Some of them … can’t get to the supermarket. Also, we know that a lot of seniors’ taste buds have been compromised, so unfortunately, they tend to eat less or sometimes skip a meal. We try to encourage them to either eat more fruits and vegetables or snack on fruits and vegetables.”
As part of its Mobile Farmer’s Market program, the food bank makes regular stops at senior centers across the county, tailoring its deliveries based on demographics.
For example, Jene-Wah, which serves Chinese seniors, might receive bok choy and mustard greens “as well as stuff they might not be used to.”
The visit includes a cooking demonstration to give some ideas about how to use those unfamiliar foods.
Contact reporter Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/ torresblog.
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