Post on 20-Jan-2016
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Food Safety for Seniors:
Background information
___________ County Cooperative Extension
Service
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Food produced close to home– Ate food in
season
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Shopped for or gathered perishable items daily– Eggs, milk, meat
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Ate at home
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Cooked longer, used higher temperatures– No microwave
ovens
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Used lots of salt to preserve meat
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• No Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, no BSE (mad cow disease)
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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In the good old days…
• Didn’t know some kinds of arthritis can be traced to foodborne illness
• Didn’t know how many people got food poisoning
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Why worry about seniors?
• Fundamental component of their independence is the ability to prepare foods at home– Home prepared food is major
source of foodborne illness for everyone
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Why worry about seniors?
• We love them
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Seniors are at high risk
• Immune systems weaken with age– Decrease in
number of disease fighting cells
– Surgery can also affect immune system
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Seniors are at high risk
• Reduced stomach acid and increased use of antacids– Increases number
of bacteria that enter small intestine
• Increased use of antibiotics
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Seniors are at high risk
• Decreased peristalsis– Rapid growth
of pathogens in gut
– Possible formation of toxins
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Seniors are at high risk
• Underlying illnesses– Diabetes– Kidney disease– Cancer
treatments– Malnutrition
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Seniors are at high risk
• Believe they are less susceptible to get foodborne illness– “Never got sick
before”– “Won’t happen to
me/us”
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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Don’t recognize symptoms
• Diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, sometimes blood or pus in stools, vomiting, severe exhaustion
• Appear ½ hour to weeks after eating
• Most last 1 to 10 days – Some have life long effects– Some kill
2001 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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