OPINION

Smith: Elderly among Indy's most at risk for hunger

Erika D. Smith
erika.smith@indystar.com
Eva, a 68-year-old retiree, relies on Meals on Wheels for most of her dietary needs. She has trouble getting around, even in the summer, and can’t drive or otherwise make it to the grocery store to go shopping.

At 68, Eva knows her mind is still sharp, as is her dry, self-deprecating sense of humor.

Her body, however, is falling apart: Heart failure. Balance issues. Multiple canes, walkers, a motorized wheelchair. She has been in and out of the hospital for months. The woman who used to be a cook at Butler University now has to rely on the services of Meals on Wheels because she can't drive to the grocery store and because she doesn't have anyone to take her.

"I was late getting started (with ordering meals) because I could still do for myself, but then I just couldn't," said Eva, who tried to tell me her last name but was overruled by Meals on Wheels staff for security reasons. "My balance is off. I stagger. People think I'm drunk, but I'm not."

Eva is one of the thousands of older Hoosiers who are living on the edge, people who would go hungry without the services of Meals on Wheels and CICOA, among others.

Many more actually do.

In Indiana, 12.8 percent of seniors are at risk of hunger. Nationwide, the number is more than 2.7 million — and the numbers have risen significantly in recent years, according to the Elders at the Table, or EAT, coalition. There's been an uptick even in Hamilton County.

The "Connect2Help" 211 referral hotline for people in need recorded a 167 percent increase in calls from adults 55 and older in Marion County for emergency food needs from 2010 to 2013. In 211's entire coverage area, which includes most of the state, the increase was 212 percent for the same time period.

That's an all-time high.

Even with winter finally past, don't expect that to change. For many older people, transportation during inclement weather is a barrier to being able to get food, but it's far from the only barrier.

In fact, as with Eva, transportation is a barrier year-round.

It's not just about driving, either. It boils down to the ways neighborhoods are designed. In Indianapolis, as in many cities, sidewalks aren't always accessible. Many urban neighborhoods are food deserts, lacking grocery stores with fresh produce. And public transportation in Central Indiana is far from adequate.

All of this is why one of the buzz phrases in urban development circles is "age in place," as in redeveloping neighborhoods so residents can continue to live in their homes and be self-sufficient.

"These people with walkers, canes, motorized scooters," said Barb Renshaw, communications director for Meals on Wheels. "They used to call them shut-ins. It's just not easy for them, and they're not very vocal."

Isolation can compound the problems that come along with hunger. Older people get depressed because they're alone and they don't eat the way they should. Too often the result is malnutrition.

Pride is another huge issue. Many older people simply don't want to take handouts. They refuse to accept help. This is an issue that compounds other issues related to hunger, such as the recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.

Not only are people in need now getting less assistance to buy food, but enrollment in the program is low in Indiana. According to the EAT coalition, only 31 percent of Hoosier households with seniors receive SNAP benefits, one of the lowest participation rates in the Midwest, despite lower average incomes and higher poverty rates in Indiana.

These are all causes for concern, especially as the population in Indiana and across the United States continues to age. Like the tens of thousands of children who go hungry and are malnourished in Central Indiana, older people are vulnerable, just for different reasons.

The good news is there's a movement afoot locally — a movement that Meals on Wheels is very much a part of — to change that. EAT, for example, recently received a grant to help more elderly find the food they need. I will write more about that effort in my next column.

"Now there's just so much greater awareness of getting food to these people," Renshaw said. "They got forgotten, and now people are shining a light on it. "

Contact Star columnist Erika D. Smith at (317) 444-6424, erika.smith@indystar.com, on Twitter: @erika_d_smith or at www.facebook.com/ErikaDSmith.Journalist.