March 29, 2007

Mayors serve as Meals on Wheels volunteers to call attention to
risks of malnutrition among seniors and the homebound

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

Twelve mayors of cities in Santa Clara County delivered hot meals to stay-at-home seniors on March 21 to call attention to the risks of malnutrition among older adults.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed personally delivered a noontime meal to Meals on Wheels clients on March 21 to draw attention to the program. He is pictured with a client named Mathilda in her San Jose home.

Each visited the homes of Meals On Wheels clients, a program operated by The Health Trust that annually delivers more than 97,000 meals to frail elderly, disabled and other vulnerable adults in the county.

While the county has its own Meals on Wheels program, their federal budget is being cut drastically and they refer many cases to the nonprofit Health Trust Meals On Wheels program.

“The big difference between our programs is that the county only takes seniors and we accept anyone over the age of 18 who is homebound due to illness,” said Renee Kellythorne, Director of Meals On Wheels. “We’ve been doing a lot of outreach to doctor’s offices and the Council on Aging and our client list has grown to approximately 400 a day. We also are seeing a lot more immigrants and low-income seniors and the aging of the population in the county is also causing an increase in the need for our services.”

Mayors participating in the event included Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado, Cupertino Mayor Kris Wang, Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro, Los Altos Hills Mayor Dean Warshawsky, Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski, Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves, Morgan Hill Mayor Pro Tem Larry Carr, Mountain View Mayor Laura Macias, Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, Santa Clara Mayor Patricia Mahan and Sunnyvale Mayor Otto Lee.

“We appreciate the mayors’ understanding the importance of providing isolated, vulnerable seniors with nutritious hot meals,” said Kellythorne. “Too many seniors who live alone don't prepare fresh meals for themselves. Many snack on prepackaged foods that may not have the nutritional values that will keep them healthy and active.”

Kellythorne explained that people lose taste sensation as they get older, so food is not as satisfying. Medications, loss of stamina and chronic illnesses can also affect the ability of an individual to shop and cook meals for themselves.

“Our clients want to continue to live independently in their own homes, and they need a little help from the community to achieve this goal,” she said, adding that the cost of a year's delivery of Meals On Wheels meals is less than one day in a hospital.

There are about 160,000 residents in Santa Clara County over the age of 65, and persons over the age of 85 are the fastest growing segment of the population in the U.S.

According to Kellythorne, only 13 percent of older adults eat the minimum amount of fruit and vegetables needed for good nutrition, and one in five skip meals daily.

“If you're just cooking for yourself and you don't feel very well, then it's easier to open a can than prepare a hot meal with fresh ingredients,” she said. “And many of our clients don't have transportation to get to the grocery store. It's understandable why they are not eating well. We're just glad that Meals On Wheels can bring them the meals they need for better nutrition and independence.”

In addition to providing meals and companionship for the homebound five days a week (weekend meals are given out on Fridays), the Health Trust Meals on Wheels program also provides clients with audio books delivery for the visually impaired, pet food, gifts from the community and an emergency preparedness kit as well as access to case management services.

For more information about the Meals on Wheels program, call (408) 961-9870 or visit the Web site at www.mowsiliconvalley.org For more information on the Health Trust visit www.healthtrust.org.