Regional Service Organization Feeds Hundreds of Older Adults Each Week

Palos Heights - Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the smell of home-cooked meals wafts through the hallways of Pathlights in Palos Heights. It might be roast turkey with sweet potatoes, it could be eggplant parmesan and Vienna bread, or it could be Texas chili with mac & cheese.

These meals are then packed up, whisked away and delivered to older adults in the Palos and Orland townships. In fact, in just one week, Pathlights staff and volunteers pack about 850 meals, making sure each one has fruit and milk. These are then organized into ten different delivery routes and delivered to about 170 older adults.

Lily Becker, LSW, Senior Manager of Title III Programs at Pathlights, explains, “the typical person who receives these meals is homebound to some degree. They have trouble getting to the store and shopping. Maybe they couldn’t renew their driver’s license, or can’t drive safely anymore. It could be that they simply just can’t stand up long enough to make a meal.”

Pathlights’ Home-Delivered Meals recipients receive five meals each week. “Two meals are delivered on Monday and Wednesday, one hot and one frozen which is meant to warm up and eat the next day. A hot meal is delivered each Friday,” says Becker.

Pathlights provides resources, advocacy, programs and services to those over the age of 60, adults with disabilities, their caregivers, families and friends, helping them along the path to aging with dignity and respect. Part of this mission centers on caregiver support. “We also provide meals as a form of caregiver reprieve,” says Becker. “Offering one meal each day to the older adult means one less meal the caregiver has to make. This is usually a lift off their shoulders.”

Nearly 1 in 11 adults over the age of 60 are food insecure nationwide. These older adults don’t have access to food or food of adequate quality to meet their basic needs. In Illinois, it’s estimated that almost 10% of older adults are food insecure.

Typically, Becker explains, older adults discover Home Delivered Meals after a hospitalization or through a home healthcare agency. “Sometimes, family members are calling us to find help for their loved one and we talk about meals as part of that assistance,” says Becker.

For many older adults, barriers arise that make healthy eating more difficult. They may find themselves living alone, lacking the motivation to cook a real meal. Medications or a loss of the sense of taste or smell may make food taste “off,” leading to apathy about food preparation. Health problems can make it physically difficult to prepare food. For those struggling financially, buying fresh, healthy foods may be too expensive.

Pathlights menus are planned by professional nutritionists to be well-balanced and healthy. “Many times, the older adult used to make their own nutritionally balanced meals but for a variety of reasons, they can’t do that anymore. Instead of relying on fast food or canned meals – those tend to be high in sodium and not the healthiest choices – we make sure they are getting all their nutritional needs met – dairy, protein and vitamins. Home Delivered Meals provides them a way to get a good meal and remain independently in their home.”

Each meal contains about 20 grams of protein, 43 grams of carbohydrates and about 10 grams of fiber. They have less than 800 mg of sodium, less than 26 grams of fat, and supply at least one-third of the recommended daily intake of Vitamins A, D, E, B6, B12, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium.

While the nutrition content may seem basic, the meals, catered by Hoffman House, are anything but. Participants may receive a meal of cheese ravioli with butternut squash cream sauce, broccoli, cinnamon apples, Vienna bread and peaches. They could receive citrus Alaskan pollock, rice pilaf, country blend vegetables, a dinner roll, chickpea salad and fresh melon. Every meal is accompanied by a serving of milk.

Becker says, “We try to keep it fresh. Around the holidays and throughout the year, there are special menus. Especially if people don’t have family nearby, it’s nice to eat a turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and ham at Easter. New things are added, but in general, our meals appeal to many people – we know everyone has different tastebuds.”

Proper nutrition is vitally important for the health of older adults. While the amount of calories needed each day declines as we age, our need for protein and other vitamins can increase. Healthy meals provide energy and help manage weight. Eating fresh foods prevents high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. Healthy foods boost the immune system, build muscles and bones, and improve both quality and quantity of life.

Pathlights also helps those with special dietary needs. Becker explains that renal and kidney specific diets can be accommodated along with diabetic, vegetarian, gluten-free diets. “We can also provide diets built around allergies, including dairy-free. We can even help provide pureed meals, and that really helps caregivers who otherwise have to prepare those meals.”

Because the drivers and their partners deliver to the same route regularly, they get to know the meal recipients and are able to perform wellness checks at each delivery. “We don’t leave the meals at the door. They put eyes on the recipients each time, or talk to a trusted caregiver. They build a rapport to where they are able to identify if something isn’t quite right when they see a client. They can come back to the case manager, and we can follow up. Our clients and their families are very appreciative of these check ins. We’ve also had instances of clients falling and the driver being able to call 9-1-1 to get them help.”

A new Pew Research Center survey says that 93% of adults over the age of 65 in the U.S. currently live in their own homes. About 60% say they want to stay in their homes and receive in-home caregiving as they age and it becomes necessary. About 18% aren’t confident that will be possible.

Becker expects the need for Home Delivered Meals to increase, as the population – especially Baby Boomers – ages and requires more assistance. “Our goal is to assist however we can to help older adults maintain their independence and stay in their homes for as long as possible.”

Home Delivered Meals are a vital assist to help that happen.

To find out more about Home Delivered Meals, call Pathlights at 708-361-0219.