Listen: PCA Nutrition Manager Amy Goldstein speaks about food insecurity among older adults
PCA Nutrition Manager Amy Goldstein recently spoke with WURD Radio’s “Reality Check” about food insecurity among older adults in Philadelphia. In the interview with host Charles Ellison, Goldstein touched on several programs that PCA offers to those in need, including congregate meals at PCA-funded senior centers and home-delivered meals.
Malnutrition: Recognizing this silent threat to the aging community
By Shannon Reyes
The lack of proper nutrition can take a harmful toll on one’s health. Known as malnutrition, this condition is especially concerning since fewer physical attributes are linked to it, making diagnosis particularly difficult. Vulnerable populations, including older adults, are often more susceptible to malnutrition. According to Defeat Malnutrition Today (DMT), a national coalition dedicated to the eradication of malnutrition in America, one in two older adults is at risk for malnutrition.
Free produce vouchers available for eligible Philadelphia seniors
PCA will begin distributing Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) produce vouchers Monday, June 24, as part of an annual program to encourage seniors to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eligible Philadelphia seniors can receive $20 worth of vouchers (four vouchers, each valued at $5) that can be used to purchase fresh Pennsylvania-grown produce sold at certified farmers’ markets throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding area.
Food allergies a concern for seniors
Food allergies are an increasing health concern in the older adult population. Though we often think of allergies as something a person is born with, the reality is that food allergies can develop at any time in one’s life. Currently, a majority of medical research is aimed at pediatric patients. However, mounting evidence suggests that older adults may be at increased risk of food allergies compared to the general population.
Fight Hunger with Team PCA by donating through May 24
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) will sponsor a team at the Walk Against Hunger on Saturday, April 27.
Enjoying good food, friends are prominent at Lutheran Settlement House
By Michael Hanisco
Located on a busy stretch of Frankford Avenue in the booming Fishtown section of Philadelphia, Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) has been serving food and friendship to children, adults and families in Philadelphia since 1902.The nonprofit organization houses a senior center that caters to the needs of older adults. Almost 50 older adults, many of them lifelong residents of the gentrifying neighborhood, attend the center daily.
These seven superfoods support good health and nutrition in seniors
By Alicia M. Colombo
The term “superfood” has gotten a lot of use lately. It describes a food that is nutritionally “dense,” meaning the food contains a high amount of nutrients per calorie. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, superfoods are thought to be linked to the prevention of disease and are believed to offer several health benefits beyond their basic nutritional value.
North Philly church’s ‘cafe kitchen’ nourishes the mind, body, soul
By Marcia Z. Siegal
On Tuesday mornings, the comforting smell of cornbread baking wafts through the community room of Haven Peniel United Methodist Church at 2301 West Oxford St. in North Philadelphia. Jean Kennerly, 85, known as “the Cornbread Lady,” is famous for this culinary delight, which is made from her own recipe.
But cornbread is not all that’s cooking in the church’s kitchen.
Recalling the soothing powers of oatmeal
I hadn’t had oatmeal in the house for years, so off I went to get some. The moment my hands reached for it on the supermarket shelf, a whole rush of feelings almost overcame me. That familiar carton of Quaker oats carried me right back to my mother’s apartment in a Philadelphia high-rise.