With winter roads treacherous and the COVID-19 vaccination process in its early stages, many experts continue to advise that older adults consider staying home as much as possible. However, with errands to run and doctors appointments to keep, staying home isnt always easy. After all, you need to eat, right? Thanks to numerous grocery and meal delivery options, going food shopping is one item you may be able to cross off your to-do list.
For eligible seniors, Meals on Wheels is a program that delivers hot, nutritious meals to their door. Generally, participants must be age 60 or older and be homebound or demonstrate difficulty with driving. For those who qualify, the meals are a good way to get the nutrients they need without having to navigate the grocery store aisles, worry about meal preparation or be concerned about wasting food since it can often be challenging to cook for just one or two people.
Steve Haveraneck is vice president of Oakland Meals on Wheels, which serves 575 clients in 16 different cities more than 1,000 meals a day. Meals are prepared from scratch in the organizations Troy kitchen and then delivered thanks to seven paid drivers and a small army of volunteers. With COVID-19 precautions in place, delivery is currently contactless. Drivers hang the food on the door, knock and step away, watching to make sure the meals are brought indoors and that the recipients are safe and doing well.
Typically, said Haveraneck, there is a lot of interaction between drivers and clients. They may chat for a few minutes and the driver will check to see if everything is alright.
Sometimes, this is the only person they see all day, said Haveraneck.
Sheila Cot, division director, Office of Senior Services for Macomb County, agreed that Meals on Wheels offers more than just a meal. She said volunteers and drivers develop a rapport which provides reassurance and support to recipients. Seniors look forward to that interaction every day in addition to the meal.
These programs are essential in keeping older individuals safe and well nourished, she said. Meal preparation can be a challenge if there are mobility issues. We see seniors suffer with malnutrition or related illness due to poor diet.
According to Cot, Macomb County Meals on Wheels program is one of the largest in the state of Michigan, serving approximately 1,700 meals per day. It did not miss one day of meal delivery throughout the pandemic as nearly every Macomb County department including the executives office pitched in and helped deliver meals. She said the need for home delivered meals was greater than ever during the pandemic, with Meals on Wheels serving 432,881 meals from Feb. 1, 2020-Jan. 31, 2021.
Meals are designed to be nutritionally balanced and appealing.
We want them to both eat and enjoy them, said Haveraneck.
There are multiple Meals on Wheels organizations throughout Oakland and Macomb counties. Most serve a specific geographical delivery area, so its a good idea to contact Area Agency on Aging 1-B to find out which Meals on Wheels program is available to you. Area Agency on Aging 1-B serves seniors in a six-county region that includes Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties. They can be reached at (800) 852-7795.
Last year, Macomb and Oakland counties began offering seniors age 60 and older free Shipt memberships. Shipt is a shopping service where shoppers fulfill your grocery list at select local retailers and deliver it to your home.
Usually there is an approximately $100 annual membership fee, but Macomb Countys program, funded with federal CARES Act dollars, was the first-of-its-kind between a senior services agency and Shipt.
We were able to offer free Shipt memberships to over 5,200 Macomb County Seniors. It was made available to Macomb County seniors in October. A redemption code was mailed to every individual that registered. This program ended in December. However, there are a few memberships still available, said Cot. The Shipt program gives seniors the ability to order groceries online and have them delivered, which may reduce potential risk of going to the grocery store such as contracting COVID and slip and fall.
Oakland County offered a similar Shipt program for its seniors, providing a free membership for unlimited, same-day grocery delivery of groceries and household essentials direct to your door. This includes refrigerated foods, pet supplies or simple household essentials that you would normally find at a local grocery store.
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase locally and we all must do our part to help stop the spread of the virus, Oakland County Executive David Coulter said in a press release last November. Many seniors may be reluctant to leave their homes and may not be getting the fresh and heathy foods they need, especially on colder days. This program allows our senior residents to receive essential food and grocery items safely in their homes without risking the possible exposure to the coronavirus and the flu.
This annual membership was offered free of charge to Oakland County senior residents age 60 or older last fall. All available memberships have since been spoken for and applications are closed.
Those that dont qualify for Meals on Wheels or didnt secure a Shipt membership before the application deadline still have some choices. Many stores, such as Kroger, offer their own delivery service while other seniors use service apps like Instacart to have their groceries delivered. Kroger, Meijer, Target, Walmart and others also have curbside service where you place your order and park in a special spot at the store, notify employees of your arrival and they load your order into your car. Most of these services do require a fee and use an app to submit orders.
For support services in addition to groceries, such as Macomb Countys Handy Helper, Community Liaison, Enrollment Assistance and Adult Day program, contact the Office of Senior Services at (586) 469-5228. If you are interested in volunteering for Meals on Wheels or another senior program, visit mca.macombgov.org.
In Oakland County, visit oakgov.com/health/partnerships/seniors/Pages/default.aspx for details about aging well and access to available resources for housing, health, medical, legal issues and local services as well as other valuable information.
Oakland and Macomb seniors can also reach out to the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at (800) 852-7795 or aaa1b.org.
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Grocery delivery services can help keep seniors healthy, safe this winter - The Oakland Press
