With adults ages 65 and older at increased risk for food-borne illnesses, the issue of food safety for seniors appears to be garnering increased attention in the academic world—as evidenced by the fact that the Kansas State University (KSU) College of Human Ecology recently was awarded a $599,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop educational programs in food safety targeting vulnerable older adults.
According to KSU, the main causes of food-borne illnesses are cross contamination, time/temperature abuse and poor personal hygiene. However, those involved with this project believe that educating seniors about these and other related issues will be a challenge, as older adults tend to cling tightly to their long-held beliefs about food safety.
“Research has told us that older adults are reluctant to throw questionable food away, are unclear about dates on food labels, and are not familiar with cooking temperatures that could ensure food safety,” said Kevin Roberts, assistant professor of hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics. Consequently, these KSU experts plan to develop and test a multi-media food-safety training program that will consider older adults’ learning preferences.
This is a valuable reminder that CAREGivers should watch for signs of food-safety or food-storage problems at their clients’ homes, and take advantage of opportunities to minimize the possibility of these seniors contracting food-borne illnesses. Of course, those CAREGivers who assist clients with food purchasing and/or preparation will be in a particularly good position to help out in this regard.
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