Volume 2, Issue 2

50th Anniversary Award Nominations

Senior Nutrition Program's 50th Anniversary Award Nominations

In honor of the Senior Nutrition Program’s 50th anniversary, ACL’s Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs is pleased to open its call for award nominations. The “Champion” awards will recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals at state, area, and local levels.

All nominations must be submitted via this online form.

Nominations are due by Wednesday, March 2, 5:00 p.m. ET.

Nominations received after this time will not be considered.

Eligible nominees are from organizations that receive Title III-C funding directly or through an Area Agency on Aging or State Unit on Aging. You may nominate yourself or someone else. Submit basic information for the nominee, including an explanation of why the nominee is a champion, and attach one brief letter from a reference who supports the nomination.

An independent review panel will review submissions for nominees against the award criteria and select those nominees who best exemplify the spirit of each award. ACL will review and approve the selections. Awardees will be notified the week of March 14, and each awardee will be recognized during ACL’s virtual anniversary celebration on March 31, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET.

Older Adult Malnutrition and Food Insecurity Through a Pandemic

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Nutrition-Related Policy Fundamentals for Supporting Older Adults in the Community during a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges, including increased food insecurity and malnutrition among older adults. The linked article explores the problems with older adult hunger, existing programs to alleviate hunger, and ways in which some programs were able to adapt during COVID-19.

Lessons from COVID-19

What's New in Nutrition & Aging

Changing Habits is a Process

Creating lasting change can be difficult but not impossible. To adopt and maintain healthy behaviors, see the linked document to evaluate progress and how to move forward for success.

Changing Your Habits for Better Health

Spanish Version

Overcome the Challenges - Have Fun and Feel Good

Do you feel your body is too large to become physically active? Any size body can and should move intentionally. The link below has some great tips to get started.

Tips for Staying Active

Spanish Version

Emotional Wellness Toolkit

Diet and exercise are not the only things that affect health. Emotional wellness is also an important aspect of overall health. The National Institutes of Health developed an interactive Emotional Wellness Toolkit to educate on ways to improve emotional wellness today.

Highlighting this joint material!

How does a Title III program collaborate with Title VI programs? This Quick Guide to Title III and Title VI Nutrition Collaboration may be helpful.

Find your local Title VI director today.

COVID-19 Resources

As the Aging Network resumes some in-person activities to support the nutritional, social, and wellness needs of older adults, programs will face new challenges. Resources from ACL's National Senior Nutrition Program offer ideas and considerations:

Food is Medicine Accelerator Application

Are you a nonprofit organization passionate about food security and utilizing healthy foods to help manage chronic disease? Apply now for the 2022-2023 Food is Medicine Accelerator Cohort. This group works to ensure Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) are available to those who need them most. Interested organizations must:

Be a nonprofit organization able to commit to an intensive 12-month training program requiring travel to Boston and New York
Have experience with food safety and commercial food production
Have access to a commercial kitchen (capable of high-volume meal production)
Have an RDN on staff or be willing to hire one
Demonstrate a commitment to providing medically tailored home-delivered meals to individuals coping with illness
Contribute a participation fee of $20,000 per organization

Affordable Connectivity Program: Helping Households Connect

Staying connected is important in today's age, though affording internet can be a challenge for many. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to help offset the cost for qualifying families. Eligible participants include those enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and more. This toolkit provides resources regarding eligibility and enrollment.

Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam Training Workshop

Attention all registered dietitians! Malnutrition is a major concern for older Americans. Are you confident in your ability to provide a diagnosis of malnutrition? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is now offering virtual Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) trainings. The two-day training (two half-days) will train dieticians how to identify physical indicators of malnutrition and provide necessary supportive evidence to make a diagnosis.

The next session is February 15 and 16, so sign up today!

Toolkit for Reducing Sodium Consumption utilizing MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has had a bad reputation in the past. However, science says it may actually be a great solution. In this toolkit, find resources including scientific research, educational materials, recipes, and more regarding MSG's role in helping to reduce overall sodium intake.

NANASP Survey

Please take a quick 50th Anniversary survey from the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs regarding your senior nutrition program.

Survey

Advancing Health Equity among Hispanic/Latino Populations

Learn more about best practices and opportunities for action to better serve Hispanic populations. This event will address digital health literacy. Sign up today.

Registration

Adult Physical Inactivity Prevalence Maps

Physical inactivity is high among US adults. New maps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that inactivity differs by location and race/ethnicity.

Are Your Evidence-Based Health Resources Reaching Native Elders?

Do you work with Native American Communities?

Join this webinar on February 24th from 3:00-4:30pm EST to learn more about Native health systems and recommendations from NCOA.

Monday Seminar Series

Keep up-to-date on current aging and nutrition research with the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) Monday Seminar Series each Monday at 12 noon ET. View the upcoming schedule of topics and speakers as well as past webinar recordings.

Partnership for Food Safety Education - FightBac

Food-borne illness can be serious. Safe food truly saves lives. The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) provides many food safety resources. On May 1, PFSE will celebrate 25 years of consumer food safety education.

Reframing Aging

Reframing; a Greater Understanding

"They are too old to [fill in the blank]." Ageism is a very real and problematic stereotype. The Reframing Aging Initiative aims to change the way society views aging and the contributions of aging Americans.

Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services (INNU) Spotlight

Findings by LifeCare Alliance, a 2019 INNU grantee, indicate home-delivered meal (HDM) recipients who enrolled in an expanded menu plan through a large HDM agency received meals that were significantly lower in protein, potassium, fat and calories when recipients selected their own meals. The lack of the specified nutrients suggests that older adults enrolled in expanded menu plans should be referred to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) who can provide skilled guidance in meal selections to optimize older adult nutrition and health-related outcomes.

As an illustration, one recipient was unable to continue chemotherapy treatments due to extreme weight loss. Through the RDN referral program, the recipient received assistance from an RDN in selecting meals that were high in protein and calories to promote healthy weight gain.

Juckett, Lisa A., Hariharan, G., Dodonova, D., Klaus, J., Rowe, M., Burak, E., Mason, B., & Bunck, L. Implementing a community-based initiative to improve nutritional intake among home-delivered meal recipients. December 30, 2021. Ohio State University, School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine.

Newly Added Resources

Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Older Adults: Toolkit for Senior Nutrition Programs

Find documents on the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center website that are designed to help Senior Nutrition Programs develop policies that meet the Older Americans Act requirements as well as align policies with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Grant Opportunities

The 2022 Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services - Research Grant opportunity was announced by ACL! This "Quickinar" shows how to access the grant application, how to use the Nutrition & Aging Resource Center website, and how to connect with a local senior nutrition program. Research professors who have worked with nutrition innovation grants in the past, Dr. Sarah Francis from Iowa State University and Dr. Nandita Chaudhuri from Texas A&M University, answer questions such as why each has applied for past grants, what the benefits were, and how to get involved.

Application deadline: March 10, 2022

ACL/AoA Weekly Update Email

Subscribe to the ACL/AoA Weekly Update email. The weekly email is packed with useful information, upcoming events, and funding and grant opportunities.

What would you like to see next month?

How to scan for malnutrition

How to partner with restaurants and other food establishments

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The Nutrition and Aging Resource Center is a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL) grant number 90PPNU0002-. This newsletter is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Administration for Community Living.