Volume 2, Issue 5

Save The Date!

The Nutrition and Aging Resource Center is launching a webinar series with our partners at Iowa State University! This year's webinar series focuses on Ageism and Targeting Underserved Communities.

The first webinar, 'Gray Hairs and Rocking Chair: Exploring Our Own Age-Related Biases,' is June 10 and features Dr. Erin Yelland, an associate professor of gerontology and the Director of the Center on Aging at Kansas State University. Dr. Yelland studies the social determinants of health, particularly within the context of well-being and healthy aging, and pursues community-based interventions that aim to improve the lives of older adults.

During the webinar, attendees will work to understand unconscious biases and how those biases influence thoughts and behaviors toward others, specifically within the context of older adults and ageism. Attendees of the webinar will also explore how to better themselves and their own perceptions as well as how they may improve the way they serve older adults and their families.

Learning objectives:

1) To better understand what unconscious biases are.

2) To briefly analyze one's own unconscious biases about older adults.

3) To identify an action step that addresses one's unconscious biases about older adults.

Registration

Creating Culturally Diverse Menus

Menus that are culturally relevant

To ensure all meal participants of senior nutrition programs are best served, a culturally relevant menu is important. Several resources are available to inspire menus with multicultural recipes. Recipes may need to be standardized before they are used for quantity production. Stay tuned as the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center will provide information later this year about how some aging and nutrition network projects are addressing culturally diverse menus and how other projects may do the same.

You may also follow us on Pinterest and review our growing number of recipe pins.

Heart-Healthy Recipes with American, Latino, Mediterranean, and Asian Flair

American-Indian Traditional Foods

Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes

Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style

Network Spotlight

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Tim Getty pursues growth of innovations in senior nutrition

Tim Getty, Regional Nutrition Coordinator with Heritage Area Agency on Aging in northeast Iowa, and his team have been hard at work ensuring aging adults in their community receive the nutrition they need. The team at Heritage AAA got creative during the pandemic. Along with providing food and meal distribution at Encore Cafe, the in-person meal sites, the team also developed a meal voucher program in November of 2020 in partnership with Hy-Vee, a local grocery store chain. With the voucher program, Hy-Vee began offering hot and refrigerated meals to participants at four of its local grocery stores. This innovation, named "Encore Express," continues to serve rural and underserved community participants.

What would you tell others who are looking to do something similar?

"Be very specific and detailed in developing the program with a proposed partner, and think of both sides of the partnership. Do not leave anything for assumption. Be detailed in expectations for partners and also consumers. Development of FAQs is vital to distribute to consumers. Try to think as the new consumer would, as to any questions that someone new may have."

What do you wish you had known before you began?

"Just how popular the program would be. Be as flexible as you can. Just because something does not work as planned, it is not necessarily a bad thing. It just might develop much better than you first thought."

News From ACL

ACL will hold a webinar on Thursday, May 12, from

1:00 to 2:00 pm ET on the anticipated OAA Regulations Request for Information (RFI). OAA regulations guide the implementation of Title III, Title VI, and Title VII programs in states, territories, tribes, and local communities across the country. This webinar will provide a brief overview of current OAA regulations, most of which have not been updated since 1988.

The webinar will review the RFI that is anticipated to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, May 6, as indicated in this public inspection notice: https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-09713.pdf. Through this RFI, ACL seeks input regarding supportive, nutrition, evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion, caregiver, legal, long-term care ombudsman, and other services provided by states, territories, tribes and tribal organizations, area agencies on aging, and local service providers under the OAA.

Please register and participate to learn how you can provide feedback to improve implementation of OAA programs and services nationwide: https://hhsacl.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_9fewiWomSXql0Mt40CoCgQ

ASL and CART accommodations will be provided for this webinar. Recordings, slides, and transcripts will be made available and posted to ACL’s website within 14 days after the webinar.

Nutrition and Aging News From the Network

Identifying and Implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategies to Promote Cultural Humility and Awareness

On Tuesday, May 10, from 3:00-4:30pm ET, join the Disability Employment TA Center along with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University, and the Washington Initiative for Supported Employment to learn about resources and tips for a focused approach to building and implementing DEI in order to promote cultural humility and responsiveness. As grantees, supporting people from marginalized and underserved populations can be challenging without the right tools, especially when resources are scarce. Yet, there is a high need for cultural awareness and support when providing employment planning services. This webinar will help participants understand how to apply the resources shared and will guide attendees to think through next steps for implementing strategies presented.

Contact [email protected] with questions or to request accommodations for the webinar.

Older Adult Outdoor Activities Toolkit

This toolkit was created to help aging network programs expand to outdoor spaces, encouraging new opportunities for physical activity and socialization. Can your program move more activities outdoors?

DGA Nutrition Guidance Resources in Spanish

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has released a Toolkit for Professionals on 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with resource tools in Spanish. These resources include science-based nutrition guidance and take a life-stage approach as well.

Equity Action Plan

The USDA has released its Equity Action Plan which highlights action steps to address inequities amongst underserved populations. This plan includes creating more equitable access to USDA food assistance programs and puts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) at the center of its efforts. These steps are important in ensuring adequate nutrition for all people. Learn more about the full USDA Equity Action Plan.

Telling Age-Inclusive Stories

Do you capture and showcase photos of older adults for publications, social media and/or promotional materials? Shutterstock and the American Society on Aging (ASA) recently partnered to provide an eye-catching guide for the representation of older adults in photos. This e-book highlights tips and tricks for more accurately portraying our aging population and ensuring everyone is well represented.

June is "Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Month". Have fun with us & tell us which is your favorite?!

Fruits

Vegetables