It is common knowledge that a healthy diet is essential to good health, but some people, including many seniors, have difficulties eating right, even though they know how important it is.
Some seniors aren’t able to shop and cook the way they did when they were younger, and many elders simply can’t afford to eat properly. The National Council on Aging estimates that roughly 5.2 million older Americans are faced with food insecurity or lack of access to sufficient amounts of healthy food, and Indian River County is no exception.
Which is why the local Meals on Wheels program is so important to personal and public health for many individuals and the community as a whole.
“Meals on Wheels provides hot, nutritious meals to individuals that are homebound and can no longer make meals for themselves, or are unable to shop for groceries independently,” said Karen Deigl, CEO of Senior Resource Association. “This is a federally funded program by the Older Americans Act for those over 60 years old who are homebound and/or disabled.
“We have 457 unduplicated recipients in Indian River County on the homebound Meals on Wheels program with another 300 people on a wait list for the service. Fortunately, by the good grace of different foundations and the generosity of individuals, we have been able to feed about 200 of those on the wait list. But the need keeps growing. We’re serving as many as we can, but failing to serve even one person who asks for help is one too many.”
“Adequate nutrition is an essential component of healthy aging,” according to “Diet Quality and Health in Older Americans,” a six-year study published in the scientific journal Nutrients and archived by National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes for Health.
“This study documents the quality of diets among older Americans and implications of healthy eating for their physical and mental health.
“Older adults adhering to healthier diets … have a significantly lower risk of developing limitations in activities of daily living and depression, [as compared to those not eating a healthy diet]. Consuming healthier diets also predicts more favorable health outcomes, as measured by blood-based biomarkers, including C-reactive protein, cystatin C, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein. Most older Americans can benefit from improving diet to reduce their risk of disability, chronic disease, and depression.”
But the health benefits of Meals on Wheels go well beyond improving senior diets.
“Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal, it’s also a wellness check,” Deigl continued.
“Once the volunteer gets to the place, they will ask a few questions about the client’s health.
If the client says they haven’t been feeling well or if the volunteer notices a change in their health, the volunteer will put that note into the app.
“That note goes immediately to the main office where the staff can contact the client’s emergency contact person and make arrangements for that person to be taken care of.
There’s been numerous times where our volunteer arrived at the door and nobody answered, only to find that person had fallen or was sick. In some cases that single visit can save a life.”
For many, the visit by the Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only contact they have with the outside world and their only opportunity to socialize, which points to another big benefit of the program.
Social isolation and loneliness take a toll on physical and mental health just like insufficient nutrition. Older adults are at greater risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease and even death in isolation.
A study by leading social-connection researcher Juilanne Holt-Lundstad found that loneliness can increase the risk of mortality by as much as 50 percent, more than the effects of air pollution, obesity and excessive alcohol use. Having a volunteer to converse with once a day can help fend off these risks. The program also benefits volunteers, increasing their social engagement and sense of well-being.
Martha and Glenn Stewart have been volunteering to deliver meals every Monday for 10 or 12 years, first in Connecticut and then in Vero Beach after they moved here permanently.
“Once you do it, you are hooked,” said Glenn Stewart. “You get to know your clients and they become friends so you are anxious to get back and see what they are up to every week. They are so appreciative and kind. We love every minute of it.”
“In many cases, the home delivery meal may be the only meal they have,” said Deigl. “If a volunteer goes into a home and sees an empty pantry, we can provide extra food for them from our pantry of donated food. We can even assist with food for their pets.
“Volunteers are always needed,” Deigl said. “And it doesn’t need to be a big commitment. If you can spare an hour or two, one day a week, it will make a huge impact. We also have a program called Adopt a Route for companies willing to let different members of their staff deliver meals during work hours. The City of Vero Beach Police and Indian River County Sheriffs have been doing this for years. It helps tremendously and doesn’t put the burden on one person.”
The Meals on Wheels program in Indian River County is under the umbrella of the Senior Resource Association, which is headed by Deigl. Meals are prepared by a company in Melbourne – cooked, packaged, sealed and labeled in perforated plastic containers before they are delivered to the distribution site in Vero Beach.
Each hot meal includes a protein, starch and vegetable along with a drink, bread and dessert.
The meals are delivered to the distribution center in a hot truck and then transferred into a warmer while being organized for local deliveries. Cold meals are distributed every Wednesday and may include salad and a sandwich.
Local deliveries are done by volunteers with insulated totes to keep the meals warm or cold as they complete their route. Each route is mapped out on a special app that shows exactly where each meal is delivered and the name of each recipient. Volunteers typically have 10 or 12 stops on their route, which can be completed in an hour or two.
Anyone interesting in helping seniors in need by volunteering for Meal on Wheels can apply online at seniorresourceassociation.org, or by calling the Senior Resource Association office at 772-569-0760.
