Meals-On-Wheels

Happy New Year!  Hopefully you were able to celebrate the beginning of 2011 surrounded by friends and family. Or, maybe after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you ushered in the New Year in welcomed solitude and quiet reflection. But imagine if that tranquility had turned to isolation stretching into the New Year, painful and unrelenting. Consider further that, in that loneliness, you are hungry but just not quite up to preparing your meals. Sadly, many Central Florida seniors find themselves in this situation. Our moms, dads, grandparents, neighbors, and even friends sometimes need a bit of warmth and a helping hand. Seniors First Inc. and its many volunteers are those helping hands.

Seniors First speaks to a wide range of needs unique to our Orange County seniors. It is the mission of Seniors First to enhance the quality of life for Central Florida’s senior citizens by helping them maintain independence and dignity through addressing nutrition and home improvement needs and offering support services. Meals on Wheels is one of the principal programs of Seniors First.

There are approximately 700 homebound seniors currently being served by the program in Orange County. About 600 clients and nearly 1100 meals are served on a single high-serving day!  A comprehensive study commissioned by The Meals on Wheels Association of America Foundation (MOWAA) found that 11.4 percent of the nation’s elderly struggle to obtain enough nourishment each day. This number is likely to rise with the large population of baby boomers who are set to retire beginning in 2011. Seniors First has pledged to join MOWAA to seek an end to senior hunger by 2020. “It promises to be a daunting task, considering that the program already has over 400 Central Florida seniors on its waiting list for services,” states Jan Ingrando, Director of Community Relations and Marketing for Seniors First of Central Florida.

Potential clients are identified through phone calls to Seniors First. Seniors who recognize that they need some assistance can call. Often, caregivers, family members, neighbors, friends, and/or case managers from other agencies, such as the Senior Resource Alliance, are the ones who make the call. Some are referred by a 2-1-1 helpline.

Want to Volunteer?
Most volunteers go on an assigned route on the same day each week. Routes are run Monday through Friday from approximately 9:00am to 12:00pm depending on the location. In the morning, volunteers load food items, stored in insulated bags and coolers, into their vehicles and deliver the meals at an established time to assigned Meals on Wheels clients. Most clients also receive a cold breakfast pack to be consumed the following morning. Each meal meets one-third of the Recommended Daily Intake for a senior. Volunteers follow the detailed routing instructions and visit an average of 10 to 15 clients each day. Most routes take one to one-and-a-half hours to complete, including the drive time to and from the site. In addition to orientation and training, Meals on Wheels volunteers must undergo a Level 2 background check before qualifying to work with the seniors.

More Than a Meal
Volunteers are also in a position to check on the well-being of the clients who typically look forward to the interaction. In some cases, the volunteer may be the only person that the client sees during the day. Volunteers report any conditions that need attention to the main office for follow-up. If a client does not respond to the door for his/her meal, there is a “non-response” procedure, which results in a contact to relatives, friends, or local law enforcement to check on the client’s welfare. In the past, certain clients have been found in crisis situations and unable to reach the phone for assistance. Volunteers can be the vital connection to emergency assistance for seniors who receive this service.

A Family Affair?
Some families view their role in the Meals on Wheels program as an opportunity to teach their children about the needs of seniors and the importance of service to the community. Ingrando points out that one volunteer credits his grandmother, a former Meals on Wheels volunteer herself, as motivation for his service.

The Meals on Wheels program is an opportunity to establish a legacy of service and caring in our community and our families. Could this be your New Year’s Resolution for 2011? Will you help give back to a generation of seniors who have given so much? A grateful recipient says it best to her volunteer, “…for you to take the time to do this is so very important….I love you!”

For more information on how to volunteer for Meals on Wheels or one of the many other Seniors First programs, go to www.seniorsfirstinc.org,  or contact Lorraine Shumaker at 407-292-0177 ext. 260.