SALT LAKE CITY — New research from Salt Lake County and the Department of Aging and Adult Services shows thousands of older adults can’t afford groceries. But county officials say a new year-long plan will aim to address the issue.
At the Liberty Senior Center in Salt Lake City, you'll find 74-year-old James Stoddard most afternoons. "According to the powers that be, we're just old men, ranting and raving," Stoddard said.
Stoddard lives in a motorhome in Salt Lake City and gets by on about $800 a month. "You learn real quickly how to live on very little money," he explained.
For Stoddard and thousands of other older adults in Utah, free meals like those given at the Liberty Senior Center can make a real difference. But just how many seniors are struggling to afford food?
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Research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that more than 7,600 Salt Lake County households with an older adult rely on public assistance to afford groceries. About 5.7% receive SNAP benefits, with higher numbers in Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan, and Taylorsville.
For experts, like Afton January, the communications director for Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services, those numbers aren't a shock.
"We know that malnutrition is a rising cause of death among older adults in Utah and particularly in Salt Lake County,” January stated. “As we work toward addressing some of those needs of our older adults, paying attention to nutrition is going to be one of the things that’s really important.”
For seniors like Stoddard, every meal counts. "It was mostly about saving money, you know, coming here and cutting your expenses to the bone.”
Currently, Salt Lake County is working on a year-long Age-Friendly Action Plan to figure out where support is needed most within older adult communities and how to meet those needs. That plan is expected to be released later this year.
