A new report from the Calgary Food Bank has found that more seniors are seeking its services due to rising costs outpacing fixed retirement incomes.
The ‘Food Insecurity Doesn’t Retire’ report surveyed 736 food bank users aged 55 and older and conducted 30 interviews. It found that 64 per cent of the food bank’s older clientele only began to experience food insecurity post-retirement, while seniors are nearly three times more likely to re-use the food bank’s services than the general population.
Dani DeBoice, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary, said she wasn’t surprised by the report’s findings and has seen the toll taken on seniors over the years.
“For people that are on a very low or fixed income, like seniors, there’s almost no room to adjust their budgets. Rent can’t be negotiated month-to-month. So, food is often the only flexible expense, we know that,” she said.
“That’s why we see people eating less or turning to the food bank. We’ve also been hearing for years now that seniors are skipping medication to eat.”
