On a recent Wednesday afternoon, the lunch service at Serving Seniors in downtown San Diego was busier than usual. Staff said more people have been showing up since the federal government did not pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Nov. 1.
Mary Eastwood took a bus from El Cajon to have lunch with her sister at the center. She is 86 and lives on a fixed income. She depends on the benefits to help buy food.
“Without it, every penny counts,” she said.
Nearly 100,000 seniors in San Diego County rely on CalFresh, California’s version of SNAP, to help pay for groceries.
But because of the government shutdown, her benefits have been delayed.
“I went yesterday to Walmart and I was showing, buying something, and I show my card and they say there's nothing in there. It hurts, you know, because it helps us a lot,” she said.
Eastwood has high blood pressure and takes heart medication. Without reliable access to food, she’s been cutting back on meals.
The delays could leave many older adults even more vulnerable, said UC San Diego Health geriatrician, Dr. Ian Neel.
“Food is as important, if not more so, than the pills that we prescribe. Because one of the major issues that patients face as they get older is the risk of malnutrition,” Neel said.
Missed meals can make chronic conditions worse, he said.
“Diabetes, heart disease, increased risk of gingivitis, which can then affect organs in our body. There have been some studies that have even shown that there's an increased risk of worsening cognitive impairment and dementia,” Neel said.
Food also affects how some medications work.
“There are some medications that we need to take with food, or in an appropriate timing with food, and if we don't have access to that food, it could lead to serious harm,” Neel said.
The effects of poor nutrition can show up within weeks.
Studies show that SNAP participation is linked to fewer avoidable hospitalizations and nursing home stays.
“You can start to see a lot of loss of muscle in between the fingers on the backs of the hands, as well as over the temples. They become more kind of sunken in,” he said.
Eastwood said she’s grateful for the free meals at Serving Seniors, but worries how long she can stretch her budget.
“Like all those people around here. I see them sleeping in the street all around here. I don't want to become like that,” she said.
