The Grocery Challenge: How Shopping Becomes Impossible for Aging Seniors

A healthy diet is a major contributing factor to wellbeing and mobility as a person heads into old age. Unfortunately, accessing the right foods isn’t always easy, as physical and cognitive decline plus transportation issues can make grocery shopping difficult or even for the elderly.

Thankfully, there are ways in which elderly people can access groceries, whether it’s through a federal scheme or by using online delivery services. However, these come with their own challenges, such as locational issues and an inability to access the right technology.

In this article, we’ll look at the main challenges faced by seniors when it comes to food shopping. We’ll also highlight the many ways to overcome these difficulties, allowing elderly people to regain their independence.

Transportation barriers to food access

A lack of personal vehicles and infrequent public transport services make it very difficult for some elderly people to get to and from the supermarket. This can cause them to have limited food options to choose from or force them to opt for local, unhealthy options.

Mobility issues can make it difficult for elderly people to even access supermarkets within close proximity. Walking may not be a viable option, especially with full shopping bags in hand. While taxis are a handy option, they’re too expensive for many people to rely on.

If journeys to supermarkets are infrequent, it can cause elderly people to opt for longer lasting, processed ingredients, rather than fresh fruit and vegetables. This causes a deficiency in vitamins necessary for prolonging health and mobility among older people.

Not being able to easily travel to a supermarket also restricts some elderly people from accessing staple ingredients, such as bread and milk, when they run out.

Online grocery shopping for seniors

Online grocery shopping provides an excellent resource for seniors, allowing them to have the exact groceries they need delivered to their door. However, there’s a catch. Not all older people have tech skills to effectively use online grocery services.

Thankfully, there are a handful of retailers that make things simpler for older people, offering over-the-phone ordering and assistance. Here are some of the options available for elderly people:

• GoGoGrandparent: Perhaps the easiest way for older people to access groceries, GoGoGrandparent allows the elderly to order via a phone call. The company also provides helpful assistance over the phone to make sure the experience goes smoothly.

• Instacart: Instacart has partnered with many of the major grocery stores, such as Costco and Publix to provide same day grocery delivery. The company even provides a senior support line.

• Amazon Fresh: This may be slightly more difficult for elderly people to use as it requires a Prime subscription and only operates in select cities. However, it offers same or next day delivery within a chosen time slot.

Online grocery shopping removes the issue of transportation barriers and will ensure access to fresh, healthy food. It’s also simple to use after a bit of practice, with most companies providing some form of over-the-phone assistance.

Delivery service accessibility features

To make online grocery shopping even simpler for the elderly, major retailers have implemented accessibility features on apps and browsers. These make it easier for people with lower digital literacy or disabilities to navigate the site. Accessibility features include:

• Voice-activated ordering

• Over-the-phone ordering

• Visual aids (high contrast and larger font sizes)

• Screen readers to allow the visually impaired to hear product descriptions

• Easy checkout with saved payment details

Food deserts and their impact on elderly nutrition

Food deserts are areas that have limited access to nutritious, healthy food. They are usually located at least 10 miles away from supermarkets in rural areas and one mile in urban areas. People living in food deserts tend to rely heavily on small convenience stores and fast food restaurants to get by. This results in a higher risk of diet-related illnesses, such as hypertension, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes.

For a variety of reasons, elderly people are at risk of becoming isolated within these food deserts. Here’s why:

• Transport issues: With driving cessation common among the older generations for physical or cognitive reasons, traveling over 10 miles to the supermarket is impossible for some. A lack of reliable public transport services makes the situation even more difficult.

• Financial issues: High-quality, healthy food is difficult to factor into a tight budget for elderly people on low incomes. It’s made even more difficult to justify when you factor in other outgoings such as medical bills.

• No support network: If a person’s family lives on the other side of the country, or even the other side of the state, it can lead to isolation. Feelings of isolation can lead to a lack of self-care and a subsequent lack of desire to seek out healthy food options.

Food deserts have a dramatic impact on elderly health, with a lack of nutrition prompting various diet-related illnesses, including:

• Unbalanced diet: Limited access to fresh food means limited access to Vitamin D, B12, B6, and magnesium. These are all vital for retaining bone density and supporting the immune system.

• Chronic diseases: A poor diet is likely to result in the development of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, and obesity.

• Malnutrition: Older people, especially those in food deserts, are more likely to suffer from malnutrition. This can lead to tiredness, muscle loss, and symptoms of depression.

Community solutions and volunteer programs

Community solutions to grocery shopping problems for elderly people are split into federal and local schemes. One of the most famous schemes is Meals on Wheels, which provides nutritional meals straight to the elderly person’s door. The scheme runs across all 50 US states, with more than 5,000 independently run programs currently in operation.

While Meals on Wheels provides an excellent service, it comes at a cost, which isn’t easy to part with when you have bills to pay. Thankfully, it’s relatively common for foodbanks to run door-to-door delivery services for those in need at no extra cost for elderly people.

Organizations such as Volunteers of America (VOA) also provide solutions for providing groceries to elderly people. This comes in the form of nutritional meals being delivered directly to homes or community dining schemes. These allow older people to come together for meals at VOA centers, providing a good meal and companionship to prevent isolation.

If your elderly relative is mobile enough to make it to the supermarket, there are schemes they can access to help them with their grocery shopping. Friendly Shopper programs provide seniors with volunteers to assist with their shop, carrying bags and picking up hard-to-reach items. These allow elderly people to participate in the act of shopping while experiencing social interactions that aren’t possible with online delivery.

Overcome grocery challenges with SureSafe

Making sure your elderly loved one has enough food and is eating healthily isn’t easy, especially if you can’t be present all the time. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to ensure they don’t fall victim to malnutrition or become stranded during a journey to the supermarket.

SureSafe personal alarms allow your elderly relative to call for help if they’re in trouble. This can be while they’re out and about or at home, as GPS tracking in the device makes their location easy to find for response teams.

With our elderly care devices, you can have peace of mind that your elderly relative is only a button away from the help they need.

If you have any questions about our products, contact us on 888 919 4472. You can also get in touch through our live chat, or request a call back from one of our experts.