Senior Nutrition (HAPF SERIES) with Marie Gualtieri, PhD and Liz Albertine,
Legislative Director

COVID-19 has elevated a lot of issues that impact older adults. So, we're going to dig into the details of the impact of aging and food insecurity. In this week's episode, I'm joined by Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Marie Gualtieri, PhD and her Discussant, Liz Albertine, Legislative Director for Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-03).

Part One of ‘Senior Nutrition (HAPF SERIES) with Marie Gualtieri, PhD’

Marie Gualtieri is a sociologist making sure vulnerable populations have the nutrition support they need. She has worked with communities and engaged with policy to increase food access and support to improve people's health outcomes across the lifespan. For the past decade, Marie has partnered with community-based organizations, health providers, and foundations, listening to the experiences and stories of food insecurity, food access, and nutrition among children, families, and older adults. And, for older adults, she learned that they face unique challenges when accessing food.

Marie’s joy is to take people's lived experiences, stories of food insecurity, and translate that into meaningful change. Marie has accomplished these changes through her work in policy, research, program evaluation, and securing additional grant funding for organizations to expand their capacity.

More recently, in her Health and Aging Policy Fellowship on Capitol Hill, Liz Albertine indicated that Marie was able to help advise Rep. DeLauro (CT-03) and her staff on nutrition issues across the lifespan. This work included introducing bipartisan legislation to expand nutrition support for families and working on the various emergency spending packages for COVID-19, focusing on senior nutrition and food assistance programs. Marie is committed to creating meaningful strides in addressing the hunger and food crises in the national and global sphere.

Liz Albertine was promoted to Legislative Director role back in January 2018. Albertine graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. She has served on Rep. DeLauro's staff since 2010, rising from Staff Assistant to her latest role. Her legislative knowledge, experience, and demonstrated passion for serving the people of Connecticut's Third Congressional District make her an excellent fit for her role.

Are you wondering what food insecurity means for older adults before COVID-19? First, let's find out what food insecurity is. It's the social and economic factors related to someone's household experience in terms of accessing food, which is different from hunger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will separate the two terms because hunger is more about a physiological feeling. But food insecurity is when you don't have some means to access food. In 2018, which is the most recent data that we have, approximately 5.3 million Americans, 60 and older, were food insecure. And that's about 7.3% of the senior population at the time, with millions more at risk for food insecurity. And when you factor in the at-risk population, that number increases to about 10 million.

There are a few root causes of food insecurity. The first thing is income. We know that poverty and food insecurity rates are positively correlated, meaning that as one increases, the other increases, as well. And during the Great Recession, we saw both poverty and food insecurity at a record high. In 2011, when we saw the conditions improving, food insecurity, and poverty rates decreased among the general population, but it remained high for older adults. But why is that? That's because income isn't the sole driver of food insecurity for older adults, because they also have issues with transportation, physical mobility, and waiting lists for services. When Marie found out about the waiting lists while working on an evaluation project several years ago in Central Florida, she got hooked.

Read part two of the "Senior Nutrition (HAPF SERIES) with Marie Gualtieri, PhD" blog at [ Ссылка ].

How to Connect More with Liz and Marie:

Elizabeth Albertine: [ Ссылка ]
Marie Gualtieri: [ Ссылка ]

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