Maine college to pilot senior diet program

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – A university in Maine plans to use a federal grant to test a nutrition program for elderly residents living in low-income housing.

The University of New England received the $ 900,000 US Department of Health grant for community living. The university said the project will seek to improve food security and the health and well-being of seniors in the state.

Nutrition educators participating in the program will remotely tune in to a senior classroom, the university said. The educators will encourage socialization among residents while maintaining the social distance from outside visitors, which is crucial during the coronavirus pandemic, the university said.

Michele Polacsek, director of the Center for Excellence in Public Health, said the project was “an innovative way to deliver valuable health information to low-income populations.”