Worried about your care recipient while you’re at work? Or, do you provide care from a distance, which makes it hard to really know how your care recipient is doing? Meals on Wheels may be the program to help!
In 1990, I decided to make a career change—and landed into a job managing a congregate nutrition site for older adults in Lambertville, N.J. In addition to providing a hot lunch-time meal to local seniors, we also delivered Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors in Hunterdon County, a beautiful, rural area along the Delaware River north of Trenton.
Meals on Wheels depends on volunteer drivers. So, when I didn’t have a volunteer to drive a route, I packed my two-door, mint green Toyota Tercel with meals for about 20 homebound seniors and hit the road.
What an amazing, eye-opening experience. And, what an introduction to an incredible program.
In my opinion, Meals on Wheels is one of the best programs for older adults. Not because a meal (which often can be stretched into two) arrives daily, but because a smiling volunteer with a warm heart arrives every day with a meal. For family caregivers who work or who live a distance away, the program provides peace of mind: If a volunteer spots a problem when delivering a meal, he immediately alerts the office staff.
It’s the best back-up pair of eyes and ears you’ll ever find. And, for about $5!
To learn about Meals on Wheels in your area, contact your local Area Agency on Aging. For a referral to you local agency, call the ElderCare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.
Tags: Help
