Show I t Doctor Doctorin k in the aY by La Laurence M M. Hursh MD M.D. Consultant National Dairy Council I I NUTRITION FOR OLDE OLDER PEOPLE PEOPLE May Is Senior Citizens Month so it seems a good time to talk about how older people ought to cat The theme this year of this event also motivates me It is Action So lets let's discuss how nutrition can contribute to more enjoyment of later years I and some somo of the problems that seem to stand in inthe the way It n is well known that many older folks yolks often orten do not cat eat well The reasons for this are varied Some older persons simply do not have the money to cat properly or they may not know enough nough about nutrition lon to buy wh what t they might with what they have Thus poverty or and Ignorance important factors They Dont Don't Realize Many older persons do not realize the importance of a nutritious diet Other older people especially especially es es- es if they live alone tend to lose interest in cooking and tend to snack rather than go to the trouble of preparing good meals And then there are are older persons who find it extremely difficult to get around Physical Impairments make it difficult even to shop for groceries And there may be dental problems All these things can discourage a person from good eating And certainly such a person is not likely to find eating out as an al al- Relieving this situation seems to be both a private and public responsibility Those participating ing in the White House Confer Confer- ence enre on Aging made suggestions that included the elderly having r guaranteed annual incomes sufficient surn dent to purchase enough good food along with other necessities One suggestion was that food stamps be made more available to the tho elderly and that a cost of living clause would be appropriate ate in the food stamp program For the disabled bled ways should be found to provide transportation tion for shopping Such people also might be helped by transporting trans trans- porting them to central points where nutritious meals could bo be served or bringing meals to such persons in their home All such programs of ot course need to In in In- education so that our elderly not only get what they need but know why Only in inthis inthis this way can some of the pro problems lems be really solved and our older people also protected from food quackery or costly fads that they might otherwise e embrace What To Do What c can yo you do Certainly Certainty you are already concerned and helping if there Is someone someone in your family that needs help Are there friends too or someone in inthe inthe inthe the neighborhood you might consider consider con sider Beyond that as citizens we must all be concerned Many communities already are doing things about the elderly that in in- elude nutrition Find out what is going on Volunteers may bo ho needed Also you can lend your brains to the decisions that are ara made or that need to be made r |