Officials of senior citizen centers around Putnam County, New York, recently decided to refuse donations of free sweets such as doughnuts and pies for their residents. The officials were cited in an Associated Press news article as being concerned that the county was setting a bad nutritional example by regularly providing the sweet treats to seniors. This change did not sit well with some the senior citizens, 7 of them picketed outside of one of the centers demanding for the ban to be lifted. One picketer stated that the ban was disrespectful and, “implied that seniors were gorging themselves on jelly doughnuts and were too senile to make the choice for themselves.”
Studies have shown that older people have high rates of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. And it is well known that, doughnuts and other desserts do not contribute to “good nutrition,” the fat found in such foods has been implicated in obesity, elevated cholesterol, and heart disease (Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html). Knowing this, what ethical responsibility lies with the leadership and dieticians of senior citizen centers, nursing homes, and assisted-living centers in providing not only nutritious food for their residents, but also providing “treats” for the older folks to enjoy? Do the senior citizen residents deserve their “just desserts,” as they live out their remaining years? Or do the centers need to adhere to nutrition standards to promote the well being of their residents?
While I understand that state and federal government supported centers would have a higher sense of responsibility to ensure their senior citizen residents partake in a healthy, nutritious diet, my grandparents, in their late-eighties, who are dairy farmers in California, still drink whole milk from the farm, have ice cream after dinner each night, and even though my grandmother has elevated cholesterol I would not coerce them to change their diets in any way. They have been happy and healthy throughout all of their years, and I can only hope that at that age, I am still strong and healthy enough to enjoy my ice cream too.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070923/ap_on_he_me/diet_doughnut_debate;_ylt=AoeRkDtJM5tWkRjV6gwO_jvVJRIF.
1 comment:
And one can certainly argue that making the choice FOR seniors without their input and consent is a paternalistic one that ignores their autonomy.
In my opinion, they need to regulate themselves, and if they can't, who am I or who is the local government to step in and do it for them?
I certainly agree that the nutritional value of doughnuts is not high. But I defend to the death your right to choose to eat them. (Well, that's not true. But who am I to stop you, or Gramma, from eating a free doughnut?)
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