The Southwest Senior Center’s Gardening Club had a strong summer. For participants like Cynthia Murray, there is still excitement in the wide range of healthy food options they grew together.
“This year, there were melons, somebody planted corn, assorted flowers, there were different vegetables, like green beans, green vegetables, and tomatoes, of course,” she said.
This gardening club has been around for over eight years, Murray said, and its benefits are wide-ranging.
“We just enjoy each other’s company and enjoy each other’s stories of what they’ve grown and what they did,” she said. “And then members take things home, and they bring things in.”
The group typically starts meeting in the spring and plants throughout the summer, with a garden party early in the fall to mark the end of the season.
“People take home some of the produce,” she said. “We split it up at the end of the year and have a garden party. We also all bring things from home, and have a nice little garden club end-of-year party.”
The Southwest Senior Center’s Garden Club is just one way that the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, a private, nonprofit agency, encourages healthy nutrition and living throughout the community.
Nutrition and community
Nutrition and healthy living is especially important for older adults, said PCA’s Public Relations Specialist Bill Conallen.
“We’re constantly trying to adapt and better meet the evolving nutritional and logistical needs of Philadelphia’s older adult community, because food insecurity is an issue that’s incredibly prevalent in a city like Philadelphia, that is still one of the poorest big cities in the country,” he said.
The program began with the passage of the Older Americans Act of 1965. The act established support for many services – including family caregiving, personal chores and meals – from agencies like PCA. The organization is now one of 5,000 across the U.S. that provides meal services to older Americans.
The PCA’s Senior Nutrition Program has two main offerings – home-delivered meals and others served in the organization’s 28 senior centers throughout the city.
Connallen said PCA works carefully to ensure its meals, particularly those delivered to homes, are nutritious.
“Those meals are crafted specifically to meet one-third of an older adult’s recommended dietary intake, and we follow rigorous nutritional standards,” he said. “And along with that opportunity, it also gives those older adults the peace of mind to know that they don’t have to potentially go out of their way to cook, if they might have a disability that precludes them from doing so.”
Nutrition is especially important as people age.
“In Maslow’s hierarchy, food is part of survival needs,” said Monique Dowd, who is with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing. “It’s the basis for us to survive. And in terms of the elderly, I think it can be very challenging. On one side, people are living longer, which sounds great, but then on the other side, the quality of life isn’t always the way that we dream it to be as we age.”
Dowd explained there are many considerations as people age – including decreased muscle mass and bone density and more prevalence of issues like lactose intolerance.
“When we think about the elderly in terms of nutrition, there [are issues like] difficulty chewing or swallowing,” she said. “But the important thing is to get more or less enough protein to simply even just maintain muscle mass. It’s an uphill battle to maintain muscle mass.”
Dowd said nutrition education and programming can also help lower the risk of certain diseases or issues for older people.
“Teaching about nutrition and giving nutrient-dense meals certainly reduces the risk of certain chronic diseases,” she said. “For example, if they’re not eating as many refined and ultra-processed foods, then that’s going to decrease the risk of getting things like hypertension or diabetes.“
“Meals on wheels,” or food delivery programs, for seniors can be helpful as they will often have “medically tailored” options that focus on senior nutrition, Dowd said.
More programming
In addition to PCA programming, Dowd explained there are many other organizations throughout the city that help seniors with healthy living and nutrition. These programs are also helpful in other ways, too.
“Aside from the wellness part, you could also think about the social part,” she said. “Social engagement is also very much part of the whole person’s wellness. So keeping them socially engaged is just as important as giving them nutrient-dense meals.”
Connallen agreed.
“Social isolation is an issue that does impact older adults at a higher rate than their younger demographics we see throughout the city,” he said. “Our senior centers offer safe spaces to be able to access nutritious food, and seniors also have access to things like health workshops and fitness activities and other social events that might be open to them. So in a way, the congregate meal opens up a whole host of opportunities.”
PCA’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program also allows seniors to be more involved in their community, Connallen said.
“This program provides vouchers to qualifying older adults to purchase fresh produce at local farmers markets throughout the state of Pennsylvania,” he said. “And that’s always a very popular program. Those vouchers usually start to become available during the summer months.”
The income-eligible program allows older adults to afford and purchase fresh produce and attend more community markets, Connallen said.
As for getting involved with PCA’s programming, Connallen said, seniors can call the organization’s helpline (215-765-9040) or go to one of the organization’s 28 senior centers.
“There is always a smiling and welcoming face there,” he said. “It is truly a place where individuals want to build connections and if you want to inquire about your eligibility at the center, they’ll be more than willing to help you.”
For program attendees like Murray, the senior center offers a menu of activities that keep her healthy.
“We just enjoy the camaraderie and the talking about our gardens and what’s growing,” she said.
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