December 13, 2010
The internet is often a good place to begin looking for help with senior-care issues. Here are a few resources you may find useful.
Independent research conducted by the Boomer Project (www.boomerproject.com) for the Home Instead Senior Care® network of U.S. and Canadian adult caregivers revealed that nutrition and related issues had a significant impact on their senior loved ones' health and well-being. Making sure that the older adults for whom they care were eating properly was a high priority for these family caregivers. You can download the Executive Summary of this study (US version PDF or Canadian version PDF).
National Department of Agriculture—National Agricultural Library features a Web site of nutrition tips for older adults.
Meals on Wheels Association of America provides valuable advice to help prevent problems associated with senior hunger.
The Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, can help find local agencies in every U.S. community to assist older adults and their families in accessing home and community-based services such as transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support services.
American Institute for Cancer Research—Nutrition After 50 highlights food and lifestyle choices to add vitality and prevent chronic disease.
National Institute on Aging—Eating Well as You Get Older focuses on the impact that food choices can make in how seniors look and feel.
National Diabetes—National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Modifying lifestyle risk factors such as diet is often important with someone who has type 2 diabetes. diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/.
Meals for One or Two—Colorado State University Extension. Older adults are often eating for one. Check out this Web site for tips on the best ways to make cooking for one or two simple and enjoyable.
The Administration on Aging (AoA) is the federal agency responsible for administering the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA is the primary federal legislation that provides the infrastructure and base funding for home- and community-based services for older adults in the United States, including congregate meals such as meals in senior centers and home-delivered meals or meals on wheels.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture are jointly responsible for the Dietary Guidelines, which are located at http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/. Materials targeted to older adults are found at www.health.gov
Experts in the Field
Dr. Nadine R. Sahyoun
Dr. Nadine R. Sahyoun, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Science (NFSC) at the University of Maryland, has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and has extensively studied the topic of nutrition for seniors.
Dr. Sahyoun's research is in nutritional epidemiology with an emphasis on chronic disease prevention and health promotion among older adults and on program evaluation of food assistance programs.
Her research interests focus on assessing the nutritional status of the older adult population and on using epidemiological methods to study the relationship between nutrition risk factors and health status of this population.
Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, CDE, is nutrition director at the Duke Diet Fitness Center. She has dedicated her career to the prevention of chronic diseases through diet and weight management. Elisabetta is also a certified diabetes educator and a past president of the Durham--Chapel Hill chapter of the American Dietetic Association. As the Duke Diet Fitness Online nutrition expert, she provides information and answers members' questions about food choices and meal planning.
Dr. Heather Keller
Dr. Heather Keller, a Professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph, is an expert in nutrition and older adults. Through her research, she strives to improve the nutritional state and health of older adults, whether they live in communities or in institutions. Dr. Keller's research program is comprehensive, ranging from screening and the assessment of nutritional states to the evaluation of innovative interventions, food products and programs. She has developed a wide collaborative network for research in both community and clinical settings.
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