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Food Safety for Seniors: Background information. ___________ County Cooperative Extension Service. In the good old days…. Food produced close to home Ate food in season. In the good old days…. Shopped for or gathered perishable items daily Eggs, milk, meat. In the good old days….
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Food Safety for Seniors:Background information ___________ County Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • Food produced close to home • Ate food in season Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • Shopped for or gathered perishable items daily • Eggs, milk, meat Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • Ate at home Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • Cooked longer, used higher temperatures • No microwave ovens Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • Used lots of salt to preserve meat Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
In the good old days… • No Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, no BSE (mad cow disease) Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Why worry about seniors? • We love them Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Seniors are at high risk • Immune systems weaken with age • Decrease in number of disease fighting cells • Surgery can also affect immune system Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Seniors are at high risk • Decreased peristalsis • Rapid growth of pathogens in gut • Possible formation of toxins Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Seniors are at high risk • Underlying illnesses • Diabetes • Kidney disease • Cancer treatments • Malnutrition Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Seniors are at high risk • Believe they are less susceptible to get foodborne illness • “Never got sick before” • “Won’t happen to me/us” Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
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 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service