Improving the Well-being, Dietary Intake, and Food Security of Older Adults by
Increasing the Funding for Title-III of The Older Americans Act
Background
The Older Americans Act (OAA) includes a
number of programs that provide services and
support to adults over the age of sixty. These
programs include home-delivered meals,
congregate dining, family caregiver support,
home assistance, transportation and preventative
health services are among the many services
supported through the OAA.
In 2019, the OAA received 2.06 billion dollars in
funding which is then allocated to various
programs. Over 40 percent of the total budget is
allocated to Title-III programs which includes
meal & nutrition services, family & caregiver
support, transportation and home-care services.
Roughly 50 percent of older adults rely on
nutrition programs for their total dietary intake
while others reported they wouldn't eat if they
didn’t receive a daily meal. Congregate dining
and meals on wheels are often cited as the only
source of social contact for older adults.
Research suggests that older adults who
regularly participate in nutrition programs have
improved outcomes related to nutrition status,
dietary intake, social interaction, food security
and well-being.
Funding for the OAA has remained relatively
consistent over the past 5 years despite a 15
percent increase in the population of older adults.
Current data suggests that the population will
double over the next 10 years. Trends for OAA
funding is projected to show minimal growth in
relation to the population growth.
There needs to be an emphasis on increasing
the federal and state funding for title-III programs
in order to meet the needs of the aging
population and reduce the risk of negative health
outcomes.
Paige Tautkas, Kelly Lee, Natalie Coppola
The Impact on Registered Dietitians
Registered Dietitians (RDs) are equipped with a wide
range of skills and knowledge that can be utilized in
various settings including community, clinical, policy,
research and leadership to name a few.
RDs play a key role in evaluating the impact of
nutrient intake and diet quality on negative health
outcomes including malnutrition, hospitalization and
social isolation. They use evidence based research to
identify problems and implement program interventions.
Including RDs in Title-III nutrition programs at the
federal, state and community level may be an effective
strategy for improving older adults well-being, dietary
intake and food insecurity.
The Impact on Patients and Clients
Inadequate funding for nutrition assistance programs
can have a negative impact on older adults health
outcomes. Budget restrictions may lead to a decrease
in program participation among older adults and as a
result, more individuals are at risk for malnutrition,
hospitalization and social isolation.
The state of New Hampshire is seeing an increase in
their older adult population. In 2017, a quarter of the
states population was over 60 years old and that
number is projected to increase. Surprisingly, only 12%
of the state’s older residents received Title-III services
in 2017.
References Program funding needs to be increased at both the
federal and state level in order to meet the needs of a
1. Campbell, A., Godfryd, A., Buys, D., & Locher, J. (2015). Does Participation in Home-Delivered
growing older population. This will ensure more people
Meals Programs Improve Outcomes for Older Adults? Results of a Systematic Review. Journal
have access to valuable program resources while
of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics. Retrieved from:
reducing the negative social and health impacts
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480596/
associated with aging.
2. Ujvari K, Fox-Grage W. Spotlight: Older Americans Act. AARP.
https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2019/02/older-americans-act.pdf. Published February
2019.