Volume 2, Issue 1

Senior Nutrition Program's 50th Anniversary

ACL has chosen "Celebrate. Innovate. Educate." as the theme for the Senior Nutrition Program's 50th anniversary.

The ACL celebrates the many accomplishments of the national and local programs; acknowledges innovative approaches used to support seniors; and promotes education to help communities understand and use nutrition services.

Join Us!

Date: Thursday, January 20, 2022

Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST

Webinar Registration

Join the Administration for Community Living (ACL) as we announce our plans for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Senior Nutrition Program. We’re excited to share details around the celebration scheduled during March and hope you will join us as we preview the toolkit and activities we’ve developed to celebrate our golden anniversary.

ACL has chosen “Celebrate. Innovate. Educate.” as this year’s special anniversary theme. With this theme, we celebrate the many accomplishments of the national and local programs; we acknowledge innovative approaches used to support seniors, and we look at how education can help communities understand and use nutrition services.

Please join us to learn how we will celebrate this milestone by promoting the anniversary, the program, and the impact of nutrition services this March and beyond.

Questions? Contact Kathy Wilson-Gold at kathy.wilson-gold@acl.hhs.gov.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Healthy Aging

Nutrition Considerations for Healthy Aging

As aging occurs, not only do our bodies change, but nutrition needs also change. Select this link to see which nutrients are important later in life.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

What's New in Nutrition & Aging

Diet Quality and Risk and Severity of COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study

A healthy, balanced diet is important for overall wellness. A recent study found that a healthy dietary pattern, characterized by plant-forward foods, may decrease COVID-19 risk and severity.

Data Quality, Risk and Severity of COVID-19

Nutrition Counseling Podcast by the Gaples Institute

When giving nutrition guidance, it is important to highlight which foods people should eat more often instead of solely focusing on which foods should be consumed less often or eliminated.

Gaples Institute: Podcast Recording

USDA NIFA Invests to Support Healthy Eating for Low-Income Americans

The USDA announced a $34M investment to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income and at-risk Americans through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). The grant recipient projects are linked for examples of how these funds are being utilized.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Lessons from COVID-19

The linked abstract below states that nutrition is a key factor supporting healthy aging. Yet during the global COVID-19 pandemic, issuances of shelter-in-place orders, closures of senior centers and other congregate dining locations, losses of income, increases in grocery prices, and other changes have left many older adults struggling to maintain good nutrition. This commentary discusses the problems of older adult malnutrition and interrelations with COVID-19, as well as explores policy opportunities for improving nutrition, health, and well-being of older Americans, and more.

2021 Grantee Spotlight

University of New England

The curriculum designed by 2021 ACL INNU grantee University of New England includes 10 Tips for Adults, a multi-level direct education intervention to reinforce messages related to:

increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables
increasing physical activity
consuming more water
purchasing healthy foods on a budget for SNAP-eligible adults

Newly Added Resources

The Nutrition and Aging Resource Center has created oral health tip sheets surrounding the following topics:

Diet, Nutrition, and Oral Health
Oral Health and Older Adults
Relationship of Oral Health and Nutrition
Resources to Help Maintain Good Oral Health

The Administration for Community Living collected reports and data on Title III programs and compiled an "Overview of Older Americans Act Title III Programs". This document gives a summary of 2018 highlights and accomplishments.