Senior hunger is a major problem, and an elder law attorney can help seniors to tackle the types of issues that can result in hunger problems. Senior hunger can occur if an elderly person is living in poverty and struggles to purchase food. An experienced attorney can provide assistance to seniors in making sure they save for a comfortable retirement so they don’t struggle financially. Hunger can also happen when age related infirmities or health issues prevent cooking. An attorney can assist with exploring programs that provide help with meal preparation and other routine daily tasks. 
Although there are ways that you can work with an attorney to help reduce the chances of food insecurity as a senior, the fact remains that senior hunger is still a problem for many elderly people. Long Island has now become part of a national campaign to tackle this problem. Hopefully, the campaign will be a successful one and seniors in the area will get all of the help that they need to get enough to eat.
Long Island Becomes Part of a Campaign to Fight Senior Hunger
Long Island.com explained the new campaign in the area that is aimed at helping to reduce senior hunger among the elderly who live locally.
According to Long Island.com, adults 65 and older have average incomes of $46,627. Seniors spent approximately 12 percent of their total annual income on food, which equates to more than $5,500 annually. This is a substantial portion of income spend on food alone, especially considering the fact that seniors also have other high expenses including rent or a mortgage payment, healthcare costs, and medical expenditures.
Because of the high cost of food, many seniors struggle to afford to get enough to eat- especially in expensive parts of the country like many areas of Long Island.
Island Harvest Food Bank is now joining up with an effort to try to reduce rates of senior hunger for those who struggle with getting enough food. The food bank was awarded a $50,000 grant as a part of a nationwide effort spearheaded by National Council on Aging (NCOA).
NCOA has initiated an effort throughout the United States to help seniors sign up for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) so they can supplement their foot budgets with these government benefits. Currently, only two seniors out of every five who are eligible for SNAP benefits are actually signed up for the program. This means many older people who could get help paying for food are not taking advantage of the assistance that is available to them.
The SNAP program provides $110 monthly on average for eligible beneficiaries so those who need help can afford to purchase the food they need to stay healthy.
Island Harvest Food Bank is not the only organization that is receiving money from NCOA grants to help seniors get access to SNAP benefits. More than 30 different community organizations spread across the United States are receiving grants so they can provide seniors help with applying for SNAP.
NCOA is not only providing money for these organizations, but has also prepared a tool that these organizations can use to see what types of assistance seniors could potentially be eligible for. The tool is called the BenefitsCheckUp. It is hosted online and it facilitates the process of screening lower income seniors to determine if those seniors are eligible for SNAP or other services.
NCOA began its initiatives to help food insecure seniors back in 2014. Since the online tool and the grant program have been up and running, around 400,000 seniors have been screened in order to determine if they are eligible to receive SNAP benefits. Of those who underwent the screening process, more than 70,000 were found to be eligible for benefits and were provided with assistance in applying for the food assistance program.
Seniors in Suffolk counties and Nassau Counties will now be able to get the assistance that many other older people have received throughout the United States so they will no longer have to suffer from food insecurity.
Getting Help from A Long Island Elder Law Attorney
To get help creating your financial plan to avoid senior poverty and senior hunger, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at (631) 265-0599 or contact us online to get personalized advice with planning to achieve financial security or with finding solutions to hunger problems caused by age or infirmity. Call today to learn more about the ways a Long Island elder law attorney can help to make sure you don’t go hungry.
Mark S. Eghrari, Estate Planning Attorney
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