Multnomah County

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Whats A Senior to Eat? Keeping Healthy as we
Age Kari Lyons, Environmental Health

• Multnomah County
• Environmental Health Department

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Agenda

• Changes in the Food System
• Bacteria and Viruses
• Food Borne Illness How we acquire it and the
  symptoms
• Why Seniors are Vulnerable
• The Human Body and Aging
• Preventing Food Borne Illness

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Changes in the Food System

• New, more virulent pathogens in new foods
• Changes in how food is processed and produced
• Eating more meals outside the home

• Growing senior population whose immune systems
  cannot fight off the harmful bacteria, which
  makes them more vulnerable to food borne illness

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Food Borne Illness
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Acquiring Food Borne Illness

• Bacteria are single celled living organisms.
• Salmonella - bacteria found in dairy foods,
  poultry and eggs.
• Viruses are smaller than bacteria and only grow
  in other living cells.
• Hepatitis A is a virus that spreads when a food
  worker does not wash their hands well after using
  the bathroom.
• Parasites and Toxins

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Major Viral Foodborne Illnesses
Norwalk Virus
Hepatitis A
Affects the liver Caused by a virus Causes
nausea, fever, tiredness, loss of appetite,
stomach ache Good handwashing prevents spread
Affects the GI Tract Diarrhea and vomit are
extremely contagious Causes severe short-term
illness
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Symptoms of Food Borne Illness

• Diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, headache,
  vomiting, and severe exhaustion.
• Vary according to the type of bacteria and by the
  amount of contaminants eaten.
• Incubation Period 30 minutes to six weeks
• Length 1-10 days

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Why are Seniors so Vulnerable?

• Changes in the gastrointestinal tract, nutrition
  and the
• immune system.

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The Human Body and Aging

• The Gastrointestinal Tract
• The stomach limits the number of bacteria that
  enter the small intestine.
• Inflammation of the lining of the stomach changes
• Decrease in stomach acid occur.
• The digestive process slows down, allowing for
  the rapid growth of pathogens in the gut and the
  possible formation of toxins.

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The Human Body and Aging

• The Immune System
• Disease-fighting cells decrease
• Undergoing major surgery also affects the body's
  ability to fight off infections.
• To counteract the affects of aging on the immune
  system, long-term regular exercise is important.

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The Human Body and Aging

• Malnutrition leads to increased incidence of
  infections
• Decrease in the pleasure of eating. Medication,
  digestive disorders, chronic illnesses, physical
  disabilities or depression may result in a loss
  of appetite.
• Good nutrition is an important factor in
• maintaining a healthy immune system.

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Whats a Senior to Eat?

• Seniors should avoid these products
• Raw fin fish and shellfish, including oysters,
  clams, mussels, and scallops.
• Raw or unpasteurized milk or cheese.
• Soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and
  Mexican-style cheese.
• Raw or lightly cooked egg or egg products
  including salad dressings, or cookie batter.
• Raw meat or poultry.
• Unpasteurized or untreated fruit or vegetable
  juice.

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Clean Wash hands and surfaces often

• Wash your hands with hot soapy water.
• Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils and
  counter tops with hot soapy water.
• Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen
  surfaces.

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Separate Dont cross contaminate

• Help preventing spreading bacteria
• from one source to another source
• Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other
  foods in your grocery shopping cart and in your
  refrigerator.
• If possible, use a different cutting board for
  raw meat products.
• Always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes and
  utensils with hot soapy water after they come in
  contact with raw meat, poultry and seafood.

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Cook at Proper Temperatures
Poultry, Stuffed Meats 165oF
       

Ground Meats 155oF
        145oF Whole Meats  
   





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Chill Refrigerate promptly

• Refrigerate foods quickly because cold
  temperatures keep harmful bacteria from growing
  and multiplying.
• Set your refrigerator no higher than 40F and the
  freezer unit at 0F.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food
  and leftovers within two hours.
• Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food
  in the refrigerator, under cold running water or
  in the microwave.

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In Case of Foodborne Illness

• Seek treatment immediately
• Call Environmental Health at 503-988-3400

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Helping Your Clients

• Talk with your clients about daily food routine
  and discuss safe food handling Chill, Cook,
  Separate, Clean
• Discuss food storage and preparation
• Talk with food servers of elders on above topics
• Avoid ill food handlers from working (review sick
  leave policy)

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Resources

• http//vm.cfsan.fda.gov
• http//www.fightbac.org