Food Safety for Seniors: Background information

1. Food Safety for Seniors:Background information ___________ County Cooperative Extension Service Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

2. In the good old days… • Food produced close to home • Ate food in season Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

3. In the good old days… • Shopped for or gathered perishable items daily • Eggs, milk, meat Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

4. In the good old days… • Ate at home Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

5. In the good old days… • Cooked longer, used higher temperatures • No microwave ovens Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

6. In the good old days… • Used lots of salt to preserve meat Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

7. In the good old days… • No Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, no BSE (mad cow disease) Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

8. 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

9. 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

10. Why worry about seniors? • We love them Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

11. 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

12. 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

13. Seniors are at high risk • Decreased peristalsis • Rapid growth of pathogens in gut • Possible formation of toxins Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

14. Seniors are at high risk • Underlying illnesses • Diabetes • Kidney disease • Cancer treatments • Malnutrition Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

15. 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

16. 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

17. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service