Healthy meals offer a lifeline to seniors

On Nov. 21, seniors who can no longer drive or cook received a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie as well as meals to last through the holiday until the next week.

Across Contra Costa County, more than 800 seniors get meals each weekday from Meals on Wheels – 150 in Concord and Clayton. Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services (MOWSOS) has been operating here since 1968.

This year, nearly 1,500 volunteers made sure that homebound seniors receive healthy meals each weekday and get a friendly check-in. Concord resident Fred Pardella has been delivering meals for 10 years in Concord and Clayton.

“All the clients are so nice and appreciative of what we do. I’ve become friends with some of the people,” he says. “When they stop receiving meals because they may have to move into assisted living, I miss them.”

“Our volunteers might be the only person some of our seniors see each day,” says Susannah Meyer, community engagement director for MOWSOS. “Our volunteers have saved lives on occasions when they might notice something amiss. Many seniors don’t have local support or family nearby.”

The meals, designed by a registered dietician, are nutritionally balanced and taste-tested. Each weekday, the staff at Bateman Community Living in Antioch prepares nearly 1,200 meals. The majority are for Meals on Wheels, with the remaining for six C.C. Café locations where seniors can gather for a meal and a social activity.

The Concord Senior Center, one of the C.C. Café locations, serves on average 58 seniors each Monday through Friday. Entrees are varied and include dishes like pork carñitas, roast beef, tuna casserole and stuffed peppers.

Clayton resident Jane Peterson, 94, started getting Meals on Wheels when she broke her leg. “The meals are delicious and nutritious. There are always fruits and vegetables and quality meats,” says Peterson, who no longer drives. “I know that I will have a meal five days a week. I won’t have to just fix beans and hot dogs”

She says the volunteers are friendly and she appreciates the staff checks. “If I’m gone and the volunteer can’t reach me, they call my kids. They worry about me.”

The program is designed to support older adults by allowing them to live independently and with dignity for as long as possible. Meals are served free, although donations are accepted. Eighty percent of the seniors are low or very low income, 75 percent are functionally impaired and 9 percent are veterans. Many have no other options for healthy meals.

MOWSOS also provides other services for the senior population. Through Friendly Visitors, Fall Prevention and Care Management, they increased the number of seniors served in Contra Costa to more than 5,000 last year.

Funding comes from federal, state and county tax dollars as well as grants and donations. However, Elaine Clark, CEO of the local MOWSOS, says funding for all these services has recently come under risk with potential federal cuts.

“Thousands of low-income, frail seniors are at risk under the proposed federal budget, which calls for drastic cuts to many senior programs, including health care, supplemental nutrition assistance, long-term supports and the entire safety net of services,” says Clark. “At a time when we should be honoring those who served our country, built our communities and raised ourselves and, in many cases, our children, Congress is making life more difficult.

“Cuts to the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) alone could cause a person to have to make the choice of eating or buying life-saving medications, turning on the heat or eating cereal for dinner,” she adds.

Clark cites a Kaiser Family Foundation study showing that more than 60 percent of a person’s health is a direct result of their living conditions. This includes fall safety, proper nutrition, transportation options and socialization. She urges everyone to call or write their Congress members about this topic.

“When Congress cuts funding for these services – including Meals on Wheels, Friendly Visiting and Fall Prevention, the costs of health care and 911 emergency services skyrocket,” Clark says. “People become sick, they fall and need emergency services, and they become cut off from society, which can lead to depression and early death.”

The national Meals on Wheels America organization states that billions of dollars are saved on expensive health-care settings by keeping seniors in their homes. One year of meals equals roughly the cost of one day in the hospital.

MOWSOS is always happy to accept new volunteers for weekly two-hour delivery shifts or as a substitute driver or office assistant. A 50th anniversary gala is also being planned for May 12.
For more information, please visit www.mowsos.org.