Meals on Wheels Yuba Sutter provides medically tailored meal options for those who are struggling with following conditions: diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, hart disease and cancer. The program expands access to healthy food for underserved populations or those living in rural areas.
WHAT DOES MEALS ON WHEELS ACTUALLY DELIVER?
Meals on Wheels starts with the meal... but delivers so much more that our aging neighbors need.
Not only do we provide nutritious meals, a friendly visit, and a wellness check, but each Meals on Wheels delivery helps us create an opportunity to build a relationship and strengthen bonds with each individual.
tailored nutrition
Providing nutritious meals to older adults sounds quite simple, but it's more complex than you might think. As we age, many factors make us vulnerable to malnutrition.
It could be that driving or shopping for food is too hard, cooking is too tiring or even opening a can may be too difficult. In some cases, individuals might lack the basic income needed to afford healthy food. For others, age-related changes in biology, functionality and social settings often have a profound impact on an older adult’s ability to access and consume the right nutrients to support their health and well-being. As we age, we often need to consume fewer calories, but must have higher amounts of protein and fiber, as well as specific vitamins and minerals, to be healthy. Age-related changes in appetite, thirst, taste and ability to digest certain foods also impact our nutritional intake. Even loss of mobility or changes in eyesight or teeth that further limit their ability to access good nutrition. No matter the reason, the nutritious, prepared meals provided by Meals on Wheels are there to support successful aging and enable independence.
social connection
One in three seniors lives alone and one in four feels lonely. Our social networks tend to shrink as we age due to retirement, loss, mobility challenges and declining health.
Gaps in social support needs intensify as older adults become more reliant on others to meet their increasing support needs, yet they have fewer people to rely on. It’s clear that social isolation and loneliness are growing public health concerns, underscored by a recent advisory from the Surgeon General. The negative consequences of social isolation include anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, a lower quality of life and increased use of healthcare services. Homebound older adults are particularly vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness. Efforts to address loneliness and social isolation are central to the program and research goals of Meals on Wheels America. 93% of local Meals on Wheels programs provide clients with a wide variety of regular companionship opportunities to help promote social connection, such as telephone reassurance, friendly visitor and pet programming.
safety resources & referrals
Many older adults' homes were not built to accommodate aging in place. Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers have the opportunity to observe clients’ home environments firsthand to observe and address safety hazards in the home during regular meal deliveries .
Factors like outdated electrical work, uneven floors and poor lighting can create an unsafe environment that places seniors at a greater risk of injury or a fall, and the ability and/or finances to make home safety modifications may be out of reach for seniors in need. Assessing the home environment to make sure it is safe, identifying and addressing hazards, directly or through referral. We also share valuable resource information and connect clients to additional services via referral to respond to the emerging needs of those we serve in the community. Meals on Wheels deliveries open the door for local programs to identify, connect individuals needing further assistance to community based organizations, and share resources that promote independence and well-being. Regular meal delivery from Meals on Wheels, whether in the comfort of the home or at a community dining site, provides tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and more.
Our program participants report that meals improve their health, make them feel safer and more secure, and help them live at home independently.
Meals on Wheels is powered by people just like you.
Now is a critical time for you to protect these proven and effective programs by helping us fill funding gaps so no senior in Yuba and Sutter counties is forgotten.
Help us protect the programs that support older adults’ health and independence. Make a gift today that will be put to use immediately to feed an aging adult in your community.
click here to MAKE A GIFT TO MEALS ON WHEELS YUBA SUTTER
Together, we can deliver more than just a meal.