Combatting Senior Hunger: Meals on Wheels Essay

During 2014/2015 we served 354,170 meals, including 330,735 hot lunches, to our homebound neighbors. The remaining meals provided either a lunch or breakfast bag to help our most vulnerable clients. Recognizing that seniors in our state are disproportionally susceptible to going hungry, we are making every effort to combat food insecurity by providing more quality and nutritious foods.

This past summer, I acquired an internship at Baldwin and Lyons, an insurance company in Indianapolis. Every Wednesday during my internship, a couple of employees and I would participate in a prodigious community service project, Meals on Wheels. Throughout the three months that I worked at Baldwin and Lyons, I got acquainted with some of the individuals whom we delivered to. These inspiring individuals were so grateful and appreciative that we took time out of our day to volunteer to do such a service. One elderly woman who we delivered to would sing to us as she came to the front door “good meals, good meals, good meals.” She is one woman that I will never forget. First going into this, I was elated knowing I was I getting out of the

Nutrition is essential for the whole being of the individual. The body needs nutrients to be healthy and fight off acute illnesses and infections. Mauk (2014) stated that “elderly clients may be at increased risk for poor nutrition due to the fact that they have multiple chronic illnesses… that can interfere with their

Meals on Wheels, an organization that feeds elderly who can’t feed themselves, is planned to get some of its funding cut off with the president’s new financial plan. Meals on Wheels has been feeding the unfortunate since the 1950’s (Carroll A10), leaving this organization to rely on public funding is not a solution to government spending. This organization improves the diets and lives of many elderly by giving them food for their specific needs, and giving them someone who comes and visits. Older people should not be just ignored, their resources are important too. This is grandparents and parents that need, or will need, this kind of help. President Trump can not pretend that the elderly are not people too,

national institutes for health, if you are seventy or older you may have nutritional needs for either high or low calories depending on gender or state of

We will deliver nearly 45,000 meals this year primarily through volunteers. Meals are delivered Monday-Friday to homebound seniors. For many, this is an invaluable opportunity to check on their well-being. That’s when a meal means even more.

Meals on Wheels, an organization that feeds elderly who can’t feed themselves, is planned to get some of its funding cut off with the president’s new financial plan. Meals on Wheels has been feeding the unfortunate since the 1950’s (Carroll A10), leaving this organization to rely on public funding is not a solution to government spending. This organization improves the diets and lives of many elderly by giving them food for their specific needs, and giving them someone who comes and visits. Older people should not be just ignored, their resources are important too. These are grandparents and parents that need, or will need, this kind of help. President Trump can not pretend that the elderly are not people too, considering he himself is seventy. Defunding such companies and institutions will lead to a path of ignorance and uncaring mindsets, and there is something to be done about it.

The first article found was, “Socioeconomic Characteristics, Dietary and Lifestyle pattern, and Health and Weight Status of Older Adults in NHANES, A Comparison of Caucasians and African Americans”. The objectives of the study were to compare the socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health status of Caucasian (non-Hispanic whites) and African American (non-Hispanic blacks); to examine their food and nutrient intakes; and to compare their body weight status (Bowman, 2009). This study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The data collected included, dietary intakes, physical activity, economic and health status. The subjects that were chosen in this study included 1,398 Caucasian adults and 354 African American adults age 65 and older that had complete and reliable dietary intake data on day 1 on the survey. The dietary dada was collected using an interviewer- assisted, 24 hour recall method. The socioeconomic

Of the many reasons why older adults are not able to meet their nutriotional requirements acute mental and physical diseases are main factors. Improvised medical conditions impair the absorption of nutrients from ingested food. Patient on medication of antibiotics and chemotherapy complain loss of appetite and killing the natural flora of the intestine which help in nutrients absorption. Physiological changes related to growing old

“My mother has been a widow since December, 2009. After the loss of her husband, her health began to decline and she became less and less able to solely provide for herself….It was at this time that the ‘Meals on Wheels’ program became such a blessing to my mother and gave our family the reassurance we needed that mother would be provided with a healthy, nutritious meal on a regular basis.

The Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) was developed in order to address the prevalence of malnutrition among older adults. This initiative represents the work of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Dietetic Association to create a coalition whose goal is to promote the integration of nutrition screening and intervention into healthcare for older adults. NSI helps to increase older adults' awareness about nutrition and health. It differentiates among adequate nutritional status, malnutrition risk and

Meals on Wheels programs are carefully regulated because of the potential danger of contamination of the food, so therefore “only licensed food preparers who meet both nutrition and sanitary standards set by state and federal regulations can provide the meals” (Wong & Meyer, 1993, p. 335). Meals must be maintained at the correct hot and cold temperatures and delivered within two hours of preparation. Typically, these programs use a centralized kitchen or shipping point. In Scioto County there are ten

In general, it is normal for older adults to eat less compared to younger people. It is said to be a counterbalance to the decrease in physical activity that is a part of the aging process. Decrease in energy intake is often said to be greater than the decrease in energy expenditure. Hence, in elderly over 70 years of age, loss in body weight is common as they do not eat enough to meet the energy demands. Energy intake on average decreased by approximately 30% between 20 and 80 years of age. [1] Based on the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), an average decline in energy intake between the age of 20 and 80 years of 1321 cal/day in men and 629 cal/day in women were reported. [2] The reduction in energy

      At any age, nutrition is vital to maintaining health and enhancing quality of life.  However, achieving good nutrition can be especially difficult for the elderly, the fastest growing portion of America's population.  Many factors, including physiological changes, changes in nutritional needs, illness and physical limitations, food-medication interactions, depression and loneliness, and food insecurity are common causes of malnutrition in the elderly.  This paper will explore factors affecting elderly nutrition, provide suggestions for obtaining and maintaining good nutrition after age 65, and describe the services available to help the elderly meet their nutritional needs.

Split into 2 groups, ‘at risk’ of malnutrition or ‘not at risk’ by the different methods of screening