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Pauline Waddington, 73, lives in one of the most coveted areas in Vancouver. Her small studio apartment is steps away from Jericho Beach and within walking distance of swanky boutiques, chic restaurants, trendy cafes and multi-million dollar mansions.

But despite the offerings of her tony West Point Grey neighbourhood, Ms. Waddington, struggles to get a decent meal.

"I have emphysema and I also have osteoarthritis ... so I can't carry groceries any more," she said. "And the cost of groceries - what can we do about that, really? Things are expensive."

Ms. Waddington's diet consists mostly of cheap frozen food and ready-made soups, which she pays a neighbour $5 a week to drive her to the supermarket to buy.

In Vancouver's affluent Westside, seniors like Ms. Waddington are not getting enough nutritious food, social service agencies say. Housing costs in the area are skyrocketing and supermarkets in certain parts of the Westside are few. So, while younger residents can walk or drive to do their grocery shopping, some seniors wind up filling up on inexpensive, unhealthy food from their nearest convenience store.

Issues of mobility, income and pride prevent many of them from maintaining healthy diets.

"A lot of our clients, with their limited income, will go for convenience like Kraft Dinner," said Lisa Ross, director of basic resources for the Jewish Family Service Agency, which provides support for area seniors. "Is it the most nutritious? No, but it might be cheaper."

While some seniors in the Westside rely on government-subsidized housing, others are house-rich but cash-poor, and can't afford to keep up with the rest of the neighbourhood, said Ms. Ross, who also co-chairs the Westside Food Security Collaborative, a coalition of social-service agencies and residents formed last year to address the community's food needs.

Many Westside seniors own their own property and paid off their mortgage years ago, when real-estate values weren't so high, she said.

"So, they sit and live here in their community, but that doesn't mean they have the income to sustain it."

The needs of seniors in the area are often overlooked because they are more reluctant to admit they need help than those in less affluent parts of the city, Ms. Ross said.

"It's almost a shame thing," she said.

Yet with real-estate values continuing to rise, it has becoming an ever more expensive place to live. The value of a typical two-bedroom Westside apartment rose to $407,000 in 2007, up 16 per cent from the previous year, while the value of a typical single-family home in the area jumped 22 per cent to more than $1-million, the B.C. Assessment agency reported in January.

Meanwhile, the average renter is hard pressed to find an apartment in the area for less than $900 a month. Roger Palmer, 69, who lives in a government-subsidized apartment in West Point Grey, said nearly half his $1,000 monthly pension goes to rent.

"The rest is spent on food," he said, estimating he spends about $140 a week on groceries for himself and his dog, Tassle, whom he considers his closest companion. His bank account is often in overdraft at the end of the month. Although Mr. Palmer's income might stretch further in a less expensive part of town, he is reluctant to leave a neighbourhood in which he's lived for 20 years.

"I just love it here," he said.

Affordability aside, many seniors in the Westside have access problems preventing them from getting nutritious food, either because it's too far to walk to the nearest grocery store, or they find public transportation inconvenient, said Catherine Leach, executive director of the non-profit Kitsilano Neighbourhood House.

"They may have money to purchase food, but getting there to get the food is an issue," she said. Many find taxis too expensive, and the HandyDART public transportation service for people with disabilities is erratic, Ms. Leach said.

That has some seniors relying on convenience stores to tide them over between trips to the supermarket. Small, neighbourhood produce stores are abundant and offer cheap, fresh fruits and vegetables. But some seniors can't manoeuvre their scooters, wheelchairs and walkers through their narrow aisles, said staff at Vancouver Coastal Health's Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre, which serves the Westside.

The Westside Food Security Collaborative and Vancouver Coastal Health did not have statistics on the number of seniors unable to obtain nutritious food. But they noted that as the population ages, there is a greater need for more food-delivery services and better transportation in the area.

Ms. Waddington said she could benefit from such improvements.

She tried her local grocery store's delivery service, but her orders didn't arrive until 8 p.m., and on occasion they didn't arrive at all.

The transportation arrangement she has made with her neighbour "has been absolutely heaven," Ms. Waddington said. But she worries about what she will do if some day the neighbour can't drive her.

"It won't last forever," she said. "We just take that one day at a time."