LIFE ElderCare Hosts 2012 Mayors for Meals Day on March 21st

March 6, 2012 by

On Wednesday, March 21, LIFE ElderCare will be joining other communities around the country for the 2012 Mayors For Meals Day. During this annual event, community leaders will help volunteer drivers deliver meals and have the opportunity to meet with some of the seniors in their respective cities who depend on the Meals On Wheels program to meet their daily nutritional needs. The following elected officials will participate in meal deliveries in Fremont, Newark and Union City:

  • Gus Morrison, Mayor, Fremont
  • Alan Nagy, Mayor, Newark
  • Anu Natarajan, (Vice Mayor) City Council Member, Fremont
  • Suzanne Chan, City Council Member, Fremont
  • Bill Harrison, City Council Member, Fremont
  • Maria “Sucy” Collazo, City Council Member, Newark
  • Emily Duncan, City Council Member, Union City

“We are excited to have so many community leaders participate in this year’s Mayors for Meals Day,” said Mary Anderson, Executive Director, LIFE ElderCare. “Their support reflects a commitment to building a caring and sharing community that promotes healthy aging.” Last year, LIFE ElderCare served over 102,000 meals to Tri-City seniors with the help of volunteer drivers who donated close to 15,000 hours to make sure no senior goes hungry.

Mayors For Meals Day is a component of March For Meals, a national campaign, initiated by the Meals On Wheels Association of America that utilizes the involvement of local Mayors and other local elected officials to raise awareness of senior hunger. Senior nutrition programs across the United States, like LIFE ElderCare, promote Mayors for Meals Day in their local communities through public events, partnerships with local businesses, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives.

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Forgetting to turn off the stove can make some seniors averse to cooking.

February 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last month I did an assessment on a man, close to 90 years old, who came to the US from Ireland. He says he really likes Meals On Wheels because the food is nutritious, and if he’s not hungry when the meal comes, it is easy to heat it up in the microwave later. He tries to make Irish stew at least twice a month but finds that once he walks away from the stove he forgets about it. ”I can’t tell you how many times I make stew and burn it,” he says. ”I use to be a good cook, but not anymore.”

His daughters have warned him about the dangers of both cooking and driving, at age 90, but he pays no attention to them and drives to see his wife who is in a nursing home in Hayward. He has a great need to see her everyday. He left his wife in Ireland with 4 kids to come to California to get a job. She had to raise the kids alone for years before he had enough money to bring everyone over.

Notes from the Field
Barb Proctor, Meals On Wheels Assessment Coordinator

 

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Have a healthy heart!

February 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one.

LIFE ElderCare’s Meals On Wheels program helps seniors learn about heart healthy eating by including nutrition tips and information on the back of every monthly MOW menu. This month we featured information about diseases and conditions that put the heart at risk and the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. (To learn more about heart disease, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) website).

Sometimes seniors already know about these signs and symptoms because they learned about them the hard way — by dealing with the disease itself. One gentleman in his 80’s, who recently experienced heart failure and hospitalization, called to tell me that he recognized that his own nurse, while visiting him at his home, had symptoms of a heart attack and he called 911 for her.

You never know when you might be called upon to save a life.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

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LIFE ElderCare can help older adults meet the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines.

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Meals On Wheels

Meals On Wheels provides one nutritionally balanced, healthy meal a day.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued yesterday by the US Department of Agriculture, focuses on balancing calories with physical activity, and encourages Americans to consume more healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and to consume less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains. LIFE ElderCare’s Meals On Wheels program, along with the Fall Prevention program, can help get older Tri-City residents get on track to meet these goals.

Meals delivered through our Meals On Wheels program are specifically designed to meet the nutritional parameters set by the Older Americans Act and the Alameda Area Agency on Aging. Every fresh cooked meal provides one-third of the minimum daily requirements for older adults and includes food that is high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The entrees are low fat, contain no added salt, and are delivered with a pint of milk and fresh fruit.

Our Fall Prevention program helps seniors by enrolling them in a 12-week, personalized, in-home exercise program that includes a weekly support visit from students enrolled in Unitek College’s LVN program. Through the use of resistance bands, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, participants are able to gradually improve their muscle strength, balance and gait. This leads to greater mobility, enhanced functioning and less fear about falling in the future.

Here are some of the tips that will be provided to help consumers translate the Dietary Guidelines into their everyday lives:

  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.
  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and
  • choose the foods with lower numbers.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Filed Under: Fall Prevention, Senior Health Concerns, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meals On Wheels helps homebound, obese woman get one healthy meal a day.

January 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

We all know how hard it is to lose five to ten pounds. But what if you needed to lose 300 pounds? Where would you start? One woman in our Meals On Wheels program is starting with one healthy meal a day. At close to 500 pounds she is unable to shop or cook, and has not left her home in two years. While she does have friends who bring food to her every week, it is not the kind of food that contributes to healthy eating habits or losing weight.

Her weight started ballooning after a serious car accident in which many of her bones were broken. After going through many surgeries she has struggled to adjust to the changes in her body. Being unable to walk for many months, she gradually stopped participating in activities that she had previously enjoyed and started relying more and more on friends for her basic needs.

Obesity can lead to a number of chronic health problems but one problem that is rarely discussed is clothes. While there are stores that specialize in clothes for overweight people, they are of no use to those who cannot leave their home to shop, or who need to have their clothes custom made. Recently, she found someone who has sewing skills who has agreed to help her design a few new dresses. I put her in touch with a City of Fremont case manager to discuss the many programs that are available to help Fremont residents who are disabled and she was very grateful.

Notes From the Field
Barb Proctor, LIFE ElderCare Meals On Wheels Assessment Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Health Concerns, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cal State East Bay nursing students bring enthusiasm, skills and caring into educating seniors about hypertension.

December 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

For the past six years, under the leadership of Marty Fraga, Cal State East Bay nursing students have been making a difference in the lives of our Meals On Wheels clients. Through her CSUEB course, Public and Community Health, Clinical, Marty’s students conduct in-home quarterly assessments that include health, medication and home safety checks. In July 2010, we added a new component to the assessment, a pilot program that helps seniors learn about hypertension and the importance of monitoring their blood pressure. People who enroll in the program are given a blood pressure monitor and receive training on how to use it.

Of the 200 people who have been told about the program, 53 have agreed to participate. A few people have initially said no to joining because they get their blood pressure checked when they visit their doctor. But a person’s blood pressure goes up and down during the course of a day. To demonstrate this, the student takes their blood pressure at the beginning of the visit and again at the end so they can see the difference.

The nursing students have found a surprising number of people who have purchased a blood pressure cuff in the past but rarely use it. They may have done a reading once or twice when they first got it, but then never bothered to use it again. Other people have the cuff but don’t want to use it because if the reading is high, they think they will feel too stressed. A few people have said they don’t think it’s important to know what their blood pressure is. But like diabetes, high blood pressure can easily go undetected, and the complications from not knowing can be deadly.

The pilot program helps older adults see that monitoring can be both simple and affordable. Participants are initially asked to record three readings per day - morning, noon and evening, and then choose the time when it is highest to check their blood pressure every day. By keeping logs of their daily readings, the participants can give their doctors a much closer look at how their blood pressure varies throughout the day.

“Blood pressure monitoring should be an integral part of every older person’s health routine,” said one of the students. ”It’s easy to do, affordable and it puts you in control of managing your own health.”

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Positive Aging, Senior Health Concerns, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LIFE ElderCare’s Campaign to End Senior Hunger

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCAzOPnusoU]
At this very moment, someone you know or love may be at risk for malnutrition. California now ranks 18th nationally in senior hunger and statistics reveal that those at greatest risk are individuals 60-64 years of age. Many of these older adults are unable to shop for or prepare meals. Our Meals On Wheels program knows first hand how tastes mature and how medication, loneliness and fixed incomes can lessen the joy of eating. Malnutrition in seniors means increased hospital stays, increased health complications and early entry into long term care facilities, as well as premature death.

Our End Senior Hunger Campaign needs your help to: 1) create an understanding of the importance of good nutrition for older adults, 2) help family members and neighbors be more aware of the signs of hunger and malnutrition, 3) keep meals going to the people who need them. Currently, close to 70% of seniors receiving meals are unable to contribute toward the cost of their meal. But since we started in 1975, there has never been a waiting list. With your help those in need of a meal will never go hungry.

A senior receiving meals recently called to say, “I always wondered what real angels look like and now I know — they look exactly like Meals On Wheels drivers. They all have those wonderful traits — unselfishness, helpfulness, dependability, kindness and heartfelt concern. My life would be filled with daily survival problems if it weren’t for my crew of angels. For a moment in time, I am reminded that I am important.”

You can help us End Senior Hunger in Fremont, Newark and Union City by donating generously to our campaign. By doing so you will be saying, “I am here for you and I care.” For further information on how you can help, please visit our website.

Thank you and Happy Holidays,
Mary M. Anderson, Executive Director

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A big thank you to the children who made Thanksgiving a little brighter for our Meals On Wheels clients today.

November 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We received about 300 brown paper lunch bags that were decorated by Brownie Troop, #33030. Here is what one of the girls wrote on the bag: “Happy Thanksgiving. I made this bag for you. My name is Esha. I am in Brownie Girl Scouts 33030. WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS PROJECT, I hope you enjoy what’s inside.”

Arlene Paxton at Graham Elementary School in Fremont asked students to get involved in a project related to their character trait for November which is compassion. About 300 cards came in from different grades. These were distributed to our seniors today along with their Thanksgiving meal. Here are a few of the greetings inside the cards:

If Turkeys Thought

If turkeys thought they would run away
A week before Thanksgiving Day.
But turkeys can’t anticipate
And so there is turkey on my plate!!

Five Fat Turkeys

Five fat turkeys are we
We spent all night in a tree
When the cook came around
We were no where to be found
And that’s why we’re here you see!!.

One student drew a man boxing with a turkey

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving with your family.
I just don’t hope that the turkeys don’t fight back!

Dear Food on Wheels:

I’m a student of Graham School Elementary wishing you a good evening and
Happy Thanksgiving. My grandpa I think needs food on wheels, but he still can drive. P. S., Thank you for helping our world.

Barb Proctor
Meals On Wheels Assessment Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meals On Wheels drivers bring sunshine into the life of a frail, homebound senior.

October 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I have been doing in-home assessments on our Meals On Wheels clients for the past 11 years. During this time I have found that the most common health problems older Tri-City residents suffer from are arthritis, heart conditions and loneliness. Because of their health problems, many of our clients find it hard to shop and prepare their own meals. While their medical needs are being taken care of by their physician, they often have no one to help them with the basic activities of daily living.

Recently, I did an assessment on a 74-year-old lady who is riddled with bone cancer and has macular degeneration. As we sat and talked she told me how grateful she is that the volunteers show up daily with her food and that they take the time to talk with her. She says, “Meals On Wheels drivers are my sunshine.”

This is what volunteering is all about!

Barb Proctor
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

 

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two of our Meals On Wheels volunteers, Larry and Gary, provide essential back up for our regular delivery driver.

September 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

LIFE ElderCare is one of the few Meals On Wheels organizations that rely entirely on volunteers to deliver meals to seniors. We do, however, have one paid driver, Bob, who picks up approximately 350 meals, Monday through Friday from the kitchen at Valley Care Hospital in Livermore.

Bob is able to take vacation time without worry because he knows the meal delivery will be in good hands with Larry and Gary, two committed volunteers who are fully trained to provide back up when he is gone. They are also on hand to assist Bob on Thursdays and Fridays when an extra 100+ frozen meals are included for weekends and holidays.

These two volunteers alternate the days that they ride along with Bob to Livermore, a thirty-minute drive from the LIFE ElderCare office. The landscape is awesome as they travel along the 680 Freeway and Highway 84. Niles Canyon is another scenic route used if traffic is heavy. Without fail the meals are delivered in a timely manner and only rarely is there a major delay.

After driving into the parking lot today, Larry and Gary were asked if there were any challenges in picking up the meals without Bob this past week while he was on vacation. Their reply was a nonchalant no. They have been assisting for so long it has become second nature to them. Larry started delivering meals in June of 2007 and Gary has been a driver since July 2008. Both of them are retired.

After unloading the meals from the truck into the parking lot, these two fellows then go on to deliver meals directly to seniors on their regular MOW routes. It is only through committed volunteers like Larry and Gary that we can provide the kind of services that frail, homebound seniors so desperately need.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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