My dad is 88 and almost blind. He wants to stay in his home of 50 years and doesn’t want to live in any sort of retirement facility. I can respect this, as he’s a Veteran and incredibly independent, having lived in some intense situations as a Marine in Viet Nam. That said, he no longer has a license, so it has been a challenge to make sure that he’s getting the help that he needs, particularly when it comes to eating well. The hardest part for me is that I live in Pennsylvania and he lives in Virginia, so even though I visit as often as I can, I am not able to see him every day to make sure he is eating and that he’s ok.
When I began working here almost a year ago, I was introduced (or should I say reintroduced) to Meals on Wheels. I thought I knew the program in that it was for “the low-income elderly” and it provided a hot meal. What I learned is that I honestly didn’t know the program at all.
It is based on access, not income meaning that seniors who have trouble with driving, mobility, preparing or shopping for meals, or all, can quality. I believed that it was only for low-income seniors, but that is not how the criteria are based. While low-income individuals certainly use the program, it is open to anyone who is in need of their meals being delivered.
I also didn’t realize that it happens 5 days a week. Seniors or others who are struggling with mobility can get a hot lunch and something to heat up for dinner 5 days per week, delivered. They can also get food for the weekends as well if approved by the county. In addition, if we are expecting bad weather, we provide “blizzard bags” containing several meals that are ready to eat in case of power failure or bad weather.
The food is delivered daily by a volunteer. This is probably the most important component. A volunteer brings the meals each weekday to the recipient. While that itself is great, what is truly amazing is that there are caring, committed volunteers that deliver each to the customer EVERY WEEKDAY. At The Open Link, our volunteers are regulars, meaning that they have a set route, where they see the same people each week. That means that if there are any changes with a recipient's demeanor, physical appearance or they simply don’t answer the door, the volunteers are able to pick up on them quickly and report it back to The Open Link. We can then make a call to a loved one or an ambulance if needed. They also develop relationships where the volunteer and the Meals on Wheels customer get to know each other, helping to address some of the isolation and loneliness that can come with being homebound.
In our area, we work with the Montgomery County Office of Aging Services (MCOAS) to qualify a Meals on Wheels recipient. MCOAS does an assessment to determine issues with mobility, nutrition and driving and then, once approved, The Open Link’s Meals on Wheels program meets the recipient, provides information on how the program will operate, and gets them on the daily schedule. Sometimes, an applicant might have trouble getting approved. This is usually due to a miscommunication on the level of mobility. For instance, an applicant might say they can drive, but their family would say that they should not be driving due to impaired vision or another reason. This is when The Center can act as an advocate with the county to help support an application and hopefully get it approved quickly.
So, I shared my story about my dad because he would tell you that he “can” drive, but his Dr. and his children would tell you that he shouldn’t. We have connected him with his local county office and a non-profit that runs a local Meals on Wheels program and he will begin getting meals in the next two weeks. Because he is not low-income, he will pay a small fee for each meal, but it is much less than a delivery service or purchasing frozen meals himself. I am happy to pay it because the value is in the way that the program is run. He will be checked on every day. He will get a nutritious, dietician approved hot lunch and a dinner that he can heat up 5 days per week and he will have someone to talk to every day. I love that for him and I love this program. Additionally, it makes me so happy that we are able to bring this same solution to many of our valley families who might be dealing with similar issues.
If you are interested in learning more about The Open Link’s Meals on Wheels program, contact Wendy, our Center Manager at CenterManager@theopenlink.org. She’s been helping our community access Meals on Wheels for several years and has helped many families navigate this process, giving them tremendous peace of mind at the same time.
