5 Ways to Reach Food Insecure Seniors
Senior citizens are one of the most vulnerable populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As vaccine options roll out, there’s hope that life will return to normal (or a new normal), and options like senior centers and group senior meals will come back to life. But even before the crisis, America has been failing to feed its seniors, with an estimated 5.5 million older adults considered “food insecure.”
While there are a bevy of food relief programs being implemented around the country as the pandemic continues to surge, as a nation we are ultimately falling short and struggling to reach seniors in need of food.
If you’re struggling to reach vulnerable populations like seniors, here are five things that have helped us help our community.
1. Use Targeted Communication
Seniors may not be as tech savvy as younger generations. While standard marketing and PR goals might be driven by social media, blogs and online forums, it’s important to find a way to deliver the message both online and offline when trying to reach seniors. Use flyers in the neighborhood in addition to Facebook ads. (Fact: Many seniors, 65 and older, do actually use Facebook so don’t count this out all together!). You can also try TV and radio interviews vs. Instagram Lives, prioritizing print newspapers instead of online blogs, and working with your local resources to start a phone bank.
2. Tap Into the Whole Neighborhood for Help
Even if you are using all avenues to get in front of seniors, sometimes they won’t take action to get assistance. Tap into their family and friends to support them, as well. We’ve seen a lot of family members or neighbors sign up seniors on their behalf for the city-backed feeding programs.
3. Determine Dietary and/or Physical Restrictions
It’s pretty standard for seniors to be more sensitive to the food they are consuming based on the status of their health. Be it needing a low sodium diet or low cholesterol meals, some participants might have highly specific diets, and it’s imperative that the model of your program is designed to be flexible in these situations. As we mentioned, it also might be harder for seniors to physically take action. For instance, 60% of seniors have at least two chronic conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease or diabetes. Take these requirements into consideration when developing a plan to communicate and support them.
4. Know Your Demographics
Early on, ask your stakeholders if they are able to provide specific information around the community’s demographics so you can identify exactly who you will be servicing. The option to offer culturally competent meals is a high priority on everyone’s list and is integral to a truly successful program.
5. Identify Any and All Opportunities for Participants
When building a program, we’ve learned that a centralized intake process provides the best possible solution, meaning applicants won’t be turned away if they aren’t accepted into one particular program, but will be given another option for food relief. When completing the intake process, be clear on what programs seniors may be eligible for. And if they are already participating in a program, there may be others that are applicable for them based on their needs for support.
Food insecure seniors deserve targeted food relief programs not only in times of disaster, but beyond. There is a fundamental, systemic issue in our country when it comes to feeding our seniors. But with nationwide services such as Great Plates, which is being implemented in cities across the country, there’s hope for long-term change.
If you have questions about how we run our programs or would like to partner with us to create a feeding program, please reach out here.
