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Food insecurity and older adults: Pandemic Edition

AHCJ Staff

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By Liz Seegert

Food insecurity was already a serious problem for many older adults, and the pandemic has made a serious situation even worse.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, nearly 5.3 million seniors faced hunger in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Feeding America. The rate of hunger among seniors aged 60 and older has increased by 38% since 2001, and at the current rate, the number of food-insecure seniors may grow to more than 8 million by 2050. These older adults are often forced into impossible choices: paying for food, for medication, or for a roof over their head.

A 2020 University of Michigan Healthy Aging poll found in seven adults between 50 and 80 had trouble getting enough food because of cost or other issues. In some places the situation has become dire. Many seniors relied on at least one hot meal — perhaps their only meal of the day — at their local senior center. When centers had to shut down, some older adults were left adrift. Additionally, food insecurity and poor nutrition are associated with several chronic illnesses that put people at higher risk for the more severe complications of COVID-19, according to this article from the American Association of Medical Colleges.

While many community organizations stepped up to deliver meals to older adults’ homes, they couldn’t get to everyone. Other groups or state and local agencies offered low-cost or free groceries through food banks, but this approach presented challenges for those lacking transportation, or unable to stand in long lines. Even with special hours set aside for older shoppers, many still feared venturing to the grocery store but often lacked the skills or technical capabilities to order groceries online.

“Health risks and financial burdens for certain at-risk populations can make access to food challenging” according to this issue brief from Advancing States.

The federal government and state and local agencies have sought to address basic needs, such as food, by providing access to benefits and modifying service delivery systems in the wake of the pandemic. Modifications in federal regulation and law have allowed states to change their policies and procedures to ensure individuals have access to food. Some of these adjustments may be temporary, due to time-limited authorizations to implement them, while other changes may lead to ongoing alterations to programs. For example:

  • The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) includes funding for a wide range of services and supports, and relief for communities, families, and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including additional funding for OAA meals programs. The bill allocates $160 million of additional funding for OAA home-delivered meals and $80 million for congregate meals. There’s also another $10 million in additional funding for Title VI tribal nutrition services.
  • The CARES Act appropriates an additional $820 million for OAA programs, which includes $480 million for OAA Title III-C Nutrition Services. This legislation also includes a waiver of the state matching requirements for OAA programs. Other provisions allow states more flexibility when it comes to funding OAA programs and deems any individual who must stay home due to COVID-19 physical distancing as meeting a nutrition services program’s “homebound” definition, which therefore qualifies them for home-delivered meals.
  • The Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Programs, part of the Administration on Aging within the Administration for Community Living, provide grants to states to help support nutrition services for older people throughout the country. The OAA Nutrition Programs include the Congregate Nutrition Program and the Home- Delivered Nutrition Program.

The Older Americans Act Title III grants authorize programs for State and Community Programs on Aging; and the Title VI Grants authorize programs for American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. The purposes of these programs are to:

  • reduce hunger and food insecurity,
  • promote socialization,
  • promote health and well-being, and
  • delay adverse health conditions.

The intent is to make community- based nutrition services available to older adults who may be at risk of losing their independence and their ability to remain in the community.

OAA Nutrition Programs

These programs also provide a range of related services through the aging network’s over 3,500 home-delivered meal providers and over 4,100 congregate meal providers. Services include both home-delivered meals and healthy meals served in group settings, such as senior centers and faith-based locations. In addition, the programs provide a range of services including nutrition screening, assessment, education, and counseling.

Nutrition services also provide an important link to other supportive in-home and community-based supports such as homemaker and home-health aide services, transportation, physical activity and chronic disease self-management programs, home repair and modification, and falls prevention programs.

  • The Congregate Nutrition Program was established in 1972 and provides nutritionally balanced meals to older adults in a congregate setting. Meals provided must meet the Dietary Reference Intakes for older adults and follow the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Congregate Nutrition program serves individuals age 60 and older, and in some cases, their caregivers, spouses, and/or persons with disabilities. 54% of participants indicated that one congregate meal provides half or more of their total food for the day, according to the ACL. The Congregate Nutrition Program provides many opportunities for socialization as well as health and wellness activities.
  • 71% of participants report the program helped them live independently and remain in their homes.
  • The Home-Delivered Nutrition Program was established in 1978 and provides nutritionally balanced meals to older adults that are home-bound. Meals provided must meet the Dietary Reference Intakes for older adults and follow the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
    • This program provides an informal “safety check” for older adults, in which volunteers and paid meal delivery staff can help to decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation in older adults as they may be the only regular social interaction they have. The program often serves frail, homebound, or isolated individuals who are age 60 and over, and in some cases, their caregivers, and/or persons with disabilities.
    • Sixty-six percent of participants indicate that a home-delivered meal provides one-half or more of their total food for the day.
    • Seventy-six percent of participants have difficulty getting outside the house, limiting their ability to shop for food. 90% of participants report the program helped them live independently and remain in their home.

Eligibility for these programs is determined almost entirely by states and local entities. The only federal eligibility criteria for participation is age — a person must be at least 60 years old to participate in either the congregate or home-delivered nutrition programs.

Services are not intended to reach every individual in the community. Programs target adults age 60 and older who are in greatest social and economic need, with particular attention to the following groups:

  • Low-income older adults
  • Minority older individuals
  • Older adults in rural communities
  • Older individuals with limited English proficiency
  • Older adults at risk of institutional care

Unfortunately, that also leaves many people scrambling for help on their own. Or worse, going hungry.

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Story ideas to consider

  • How many additional meals are programs like Meals on Wheels or Feeding America delivering in your community during the pandemic? Are there enough volunteers and funding? Does a particular volunteer or recipient stand out, wh would make for a great profile? Research Meals on Wheels and Feeding America options in your ZIP code.
  • What are states and localities doing to ensure that every older adult who needs food has regular access to meals and/or groceries? What barriers must be overcome to do so?
  • How have local community organizations/volunteers stepped up to ensure no older adult goes hungry?
  • As more people get vaccinated, are there plans to lift some restrictions for congregate meal settings? If so, what plans are in place to ensure everyone’s safety? How will issues like transportation, social distancing, testing be addressed?

Resources

Experts

  • Stephen B. Kritchevsky, Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Sticht Center on Aging, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Wake Forrest Baptist Medical Center
  • Sue Peschin, M.H.S., president and CEO, Alliance for Aging Research.
Minneapolis Health Journalism 2026 | May 27-30, 2026
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