Gofftown, New Hampshire — Groups of friends and neighbors gather for meals each week and special menus of nutritious foods paid for by a social program aimed at maintaining healthy eating habits for seniors. are choosing from
They are all over 60 and enjoy butternut squash soup, sandwiches, oats and eggs while chatting and joking about family, politics and the news of the day.
But if you’re imagining people gathering for lunch at a seniors’ center, think again.
Long before COVID-19 put social gatherings on hold, lunch was losing its appeal at some senior centers. Some stores did not reopen after the pandemic.
Join us for this elegant solution that is gaining popularity. Set aside a portion of federal and state funding to feed seniors to restaurants in distress to help balance balance with more choice, flexible timing, and a non-judgmental environment. Help older people get together and chat by providing ready-to-eat meals. and eradicate loneliness.
“Isolation is the new pandemic,” said John Erikezzo, president of Meals on Wheels in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. The organization delivers meals to home-based seniors and senior centers, as well as running one of its similar programs. “Knocking on doors and seeing people who are stuck in their homes helps.
Seniors are changing. They may still be working, caring for grandchildren, or meeting medical appointments, so they may not be able to show up at a set time for lunch or dinner. And after years of cooking for others, it’s nice to be able to sit in a restaurant and order a meal.
Some restaurant programs target seniors in rural areas. Some even benefit people with limited access to transportation. Some are aimed at minority communities.
“Everyone does things a little differently when there’s a gap in service,” says Connecticut-based nutrition consultant Lisa Labonte.
One in four Americans is over the age of 60, and another 12,000 turn 60 every day, according to information compiled by Meals on Wheel America. People with fixed incomes also live longer on less money. One in two seniors living alone does not have the income to meet their basic needs.
Debbie Laval looks forward to getting together with friends each week at a bright, lively restaurant just a short drive from her New Hampshire apartment. Special menus at White Birch Eatery in Goffstown list the calorie, carbohydrate and sodium content of the meals and the USDA recommended daily allowance for adults under the Federal Aging Act Nutrition Program. must meet a dietitian-approved one-third of Laval and others enroll in the program and swipe a credit card or keychain-style card with a QR code to pay for their allotted meals. There is no charge for meals, but donations are encouraged.
Despite eating out more, Laval, 67, has lost weight in preparation for her recent surgery. But the most important thing for Laval is that she interacts with other people. She is worried about Alzheimer’s disease after she retired after many years as a manager of a plumbing and heating business.
“My mother had it and was always home. She never left,” she said. “I said I was going to be as social as possible because I was scared to death of it.”
Laval takes her recently widowed, blind friend to another participating restaurant in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
“He says, ‘I’m never going out unless you take me,'” Laval said.
From a nutritional standpoint, “eating in groups makes for a better diet,” says nutrition consultant Jean Lloyd. “Studies show that when we are surrounded by people who eat healthily, we eat healthier. And older people are a vulnerable group.”
She cited a 2020 case on the health effects of loneliness on older adults. The US Surgeon General recently pointed out that the loneliness epidemic in the US poses as deadly health risks as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
The program focuses on the broad goals of the Aging Act to reduce hunger and food insecurity and promote the socialization, health and well-being of older people.
In the 1980s, the restaurant was considered an obscure and unpopular alternative to traditional dinners in senior centers and church basements. Earlier this year, at least 26 states had some restaurants and other food providers locally affiliated with community aging agencies and nonprofits such as Meals on Wheels.
Cindy Williams, owner of White Birch Eatery, which opened in March 2020 just before the pandemic, said, “We get to meet people, check in on them, and they bring in new friends. , we also meet new faces from time to time.” Shut down everything. Limited operations resumed in the summer of the same year. “And the profit margins are low, but that helps us too. It keeps our staff here and working.”
Partnerships with restaurants in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and New Jersey, for example, began as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and the urgency for curbside pickup increased. Meanwhile, communities in Massachusetts, upstate New York and northern California have established pre-pandemic programs targeting rural and ethnic communities, and new restaurants are joining.
“The pandemic has presented us with an opportunity because it has made everyone aware of the need to think differently instead of delivering services in the same way as we have in the past. said Edwin Walker, assistant secretary of state under aging policy. Department of Health and Human Services.
Some programs include catering at seniors takeaway options, grocery meal services, food trucks, hospital facilities, senior centers and other community locations in addition to or in lieu of dining at our in-house restaurants offers.
Partnerships start at the regional level. The Federal Office for Regional Living, which oversees nutrition service programs and subsidizes innovative projects, does not keep data on the number of participating restaurants and people and the overall cost. We are working on a research project to learn more about them.
Federal funds are distributed to states based on a formula. States work with local governments on aging and related nonprofits to allocate funds and provide matching funds for some programs. Non-profit organizations are also seeking grants and donations.
Programs are targeted to serve those with the greatest economic or social need, including low-income and ethnic minorities, rural residents and those with limited English proficiency.
Programs have to be adjusted to food and labor costs, which can be difficult. Refunds have been issued to restaurants, but funding sources are limited, especially as COVID-19-related emergency funds have ended.
“For every meal we serve, we earn $8.11,” Erikezzo said. “The meal costs $13. We recommend donating $4. Even if you donate, you’re still 80 cents short.”
Restaurants will serve smaller portion sizes or reduce maximum monthly servings to more specifically target who is using the meal program the most to save costs. etc., you may need to adjust the menu.
Still, partnering with restaurants costs less than contracting local dining options with city halls and churches, said Janet Balth, nutrition director for the Northeastern Iowa Regional Aging Agency.
The Benz Smokehouse & Pub in Westgate, Iowa (population 200) signed a deal in Bull’s jurisdiction after cooking meals for meal-on-wheel recipients during the worst of the pandemic. It was the first restaurant.
But before that happened, there were tough times.
“We sat here all day and didn’t put $100 in the register,” said restaurant owner Sheila Benz. “They saved us.”
And it helps the elderly too.
Robert Mays, 65, started going to Lizard Grove in Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife and mother-in-law for a weekly “senior lunch bunch.”
“People who live in the same neighborhood but don’t usually see each other and even people of different races can get together and see that we are more alike than we are different. he said.
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Boston-based Associated Press reporter Rodrick Ngowi contributed to this article.
