Those investigating elderly in-home care resources for seniors today may want to look into Meals on Wheels. No one wants to worry that their loved one is not getting proper nourishment and Meals on Wheels is one long standing community organization that can help ensure that their nutritional needs are met.
Meals on Wheels History
Meals on Wheels has been providing their elderly in-home care program since they embarked on an experimental meal program right after WWII. The first, small in-home meal program was started in Philadelphia, PA in 1954 at the request of the Philadelphia Health and Welfare Council. A social worker by the name of Margaret Toy pioneered a program that would meet the dietary needs of the local homebound seniors. These senior citizens, disabled individuals and other shut-ins would have gone hungry without her help. Each day the group delivered a nutritionally balanced hot meal that would include a cold sandwich, milk and a side dish. The volunteers were mostly made up of high school students who were called “Platter Angels.” These “Platter Angels” would prepare, package and deliver the food.
Columbus, Ohio was the second city in the United States to create an elderly in-home meal program. Columbus used the Philadelphia program as a model with women’s clubs participating and informing the public of the new service. Women from the club would then evaluate whether or not seniors who were interested had a need and if they could pay for the meals. They used a sliding scale from $.80 to $2.00 a day for meals that were prepared by local restaurants. These were delivered by taxicabs during the week and by high school students on the weekend.
Rochester, New York’s elderly in-home meal delivery program began in 1958 and was administered by the Visiting Nurse Service. They charged from 50 cents to $1.85 for dues and the Bureau of Chronic Diseases and Geriatrics of the New York Department of Health paid for any remaining costs. Cities across the country followed suit creating their own elderly in-home care meal programs that have become the Meals on Wheels programs used by thousands around the country today.
Find Meals on Wheels Program near you
It is easy to find a Meals on Wheels program near you by visiting the Meals On Wheels Association of America’s website. There they provide a “find a meal” search feature that allows you to look for a program near you by searching either, Organization Name, City, or State. If you can’t find anything via those, they recommend that you use the Eldercare Locater tool at www.eldercare.gov or call (800) 677-1116.
Today many Meals on Wheels elderly in-home care program participants are able to maintain their independence by receiving these nourishing meals. This program provides their families not only the peace of mind knowing they are receiving good meals, but also a daily visit from the volunteer.
Get Involved!
Meals on Wheels offer many opportunities to get involved and prevent senior hunger. You can volunteer locally, encourage other to volunteer or donate money to the cause.
The ‘ABC’ in Elder care ABC stands for ‘About Being Connected’. So come in and join us, get connected and have your say about what information you need. Most importantly discover a group of people that are here to support you in making the tough decisions like whether your parents would be better with nursing home care [http://eldercareabcblog.com/questions-about-nursing-home-care] and who you can support in your own way
1122 Bryden Road (Bryden Road Historic District) Columbus, Ohio 43205
