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

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In the good old days…

• Shopped for or gathered perishable items daily– Eggs, milk, meat

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In the good old days…

• Ate at home

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In the good old days…

• Cooked longer, used higher temperatures– No microwave

ovens

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In the good old days…

• Used lots of salt to preserve meat

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In the good old days…

• No Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, no BSE (mad cow disease)

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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

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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

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Why worry about seniors?

• We love them

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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

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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

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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”

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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

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