March 18, 2019

Community Meal Site #bestlookingplate Event During the week of March 25-29,2019, ACL is encouraging senior community locations/meal sites funded by Title IIIC of Older Americans’ Act to showcase your best looking plate. The Twitter Hashtag to use is #bestlookingplate.  Did you know that ACL’s Nutrition Program is making a positive difference for older adults? Our recent Nutrition Report shows that having nutritious meals at community meal sites decreases healthcare utilization, as well as placements in nursing homes. The report found that participants: had greater food security than non-participants (84.5 percent vs. 80.5 percent) reported more satisfaction with their socialization opportunities than non-participants (94.0 percent vs. 85.8 percent) Had higher diet quality than non-participants. Were less likely to be depressed than non-participants (2.3 percent vs. 6.5 percent) Used less Medicare funded health care when compared to non-participants: Fewer hospital admissions (8.5 percent vs. 13.7 percent) Fewer emergency department visits that led to a hospital admission (5.4 percent vs. 10.4 percent) The Nutrition Program serves as hub for older adults to access nutritious meals and socialization. The meal is a gateway to other wellness services, resources, benefits, information, and assistance. Connection to resources /benefits often assist in addressing ones social determinants of health. Resources that enhance quality of life can have a significant influence on health outcomes Congregate meals sites that provided a variety of nutrition and non-nutrition services were much more likely than those that did not provide such services to offer social activities: 81 percent of sites that provided nutrition counseling also offered social activities 76 percent of sites that provided transportation also offered social activities 76 percent of sites that provided case management also offered social activities 73 percent of sites that provided nutrition education also offered social activities Other benefits of the Nutrition Program includes peer support, volunteerism, enjoyment, and fun. Next week, March 25-29, ACL is encouraging senior community locations/meal sites funded by Title IIIC of Older Americans’ Act to use Twitter to showcase your best looking plate. ACL will retweet some of the best photos we see. Use Twitter Hashtag #bestlookingplate. You can also include the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Hashtag alongside it #NationalNutritionMonth. Let’s see the photos of those great looking plates! Back to top