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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tim Faust (DFL)

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Bill to Provide Meals for Seniors Should Be Passed

Thursday, March 20, 2014

To the editor:

This week, my bill to provide funding for senior nutrition programs move through committee. This bill would provide $625,000 to the Board of Aging to help provide dining services for seniors around the state.

Historically, senior nutrition programs have been funded by the federal government through the Older American Act. Last year, because of sequestration budget cuts, those programs in Minnesota were cut almost $500,000. That caused about 3 dozen senior dining sites to shutdown last year.

My bill would help correct that mistake by the federal government by supplementing these programs with state funds. In Minnesota, about 9 percent of seniors don’t have access to the food they need. These seniors are more at risk for heart attack, asthma, and congestive heart failure. Providing healthy meals for these seniors will help lower those risks.

But providing these meals also helps to create a positive social environment. Research has shown that just 30 minutes of socializing per day can help increase brain health and decrease the likelihood of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

This bill would benefit seniors in communities like ours, and I hope to see it passed this session.

Tim Faust