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Tamara Reed

Professor Kohlen

FSN 315 Section 2

3 December 2021

Abstract

For the past couple of weeks, I volunteered at ‘Meals That Connect,’ which is a local

meal delivery service in San Luis Obispo that provides meals for hundreds of senior citizens.

Overall, my experience with ‘Meals That Connect’ was educational and valuable for not only my

degree, but also my personal growth. I got to see firsthand the health issues that affect senior

citizens, which took what I had learned in class to a place outside of the classroom. I learned that

meal delivery services are critical for senior citizens (both locally and nationally) who do not

have the means to get meals on their own, and my eyes were opened to how many elderly

individuals live in my community. Like any organization, ‘Meals That Connect’ could improve

in a couple of areas, like by increasing the education of their volunteers to help facilitate

conversations between senior citizens and volunteers. But, overall, ‘Meals That Connect’ is a

great organization that taught me a lot while also helping so many elderly individuals in the San

Luis Obispo community.

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Introduction:

We live in a time when quickly and easily ordering meals online through Uber Eats,

Grubhub, or Doordash is entirely normal. However, this has not always existed, and for senior

citizens who often do not have the means or the funds for such meal services, alternate meal

delivery services exist—services that are free and nutritious. These services exist at a national

level and are more well known, but they also exist as smaller organizations to serve local areas.

One of those local organizations is called ‘Meals That Connect,’ and I have spent the past few

weeks volunteering for the organization and finding out what services they provide, how and

why they do it, and for whom they do it. In order to assess this program and its effect and

purpose, I will discuss the current national outlook on nutrition for elderly adults, the specifics of

‘Meals That Connect’ and how I got involved, what I learned from my volunteering time, and

my recommendations I have for the agency based on my overall experience.

Meal delivery service history, current national programs, and the issues meal delivery

services face:

Meal delivery services exist all around the world, but they originally started in Britain

during World War II when a group of women earned the term “Meals on Wheels” by delivering

meals (in baby carriages) to individuals in need (Campbell). In the United States specifically, the

first reported home-delivery service started in 1954 in Pennsylvania, and the current largest

nutrition program, established through the 1965 Older Americans Act (OAA), is also called

“Meals on Wheels” (Campbell). This larger, nationwide program requires its participants to be

over 60 years old, and those participants also tend to be “poorer, older, sicker, frailer, more likely

to live alone, members of minority groups,” and underweight or at risk for malnutrition
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(Wellman). These services are helpful for senior citizens, especially those with decreased

mobility or tight budgets because it gives them an easy and convenient way to get nutritious

meals. One journal that assessed eight separate meal delivery services describes how “All but

two studies found home-delivered meal programs to significantly improve diet quality, increase

nutrient intakes, and reduce food insecurity and nutritional risk among participants” (Zhu & An).

However, although these meal programs have great potential and are generally effective for

improving nutrition status, the truth is that the programs are in great need of volunteers, waiting

lists are long, and senior citizens may not have access to the services (or not know how to sign

up, etc). Additionally, “less than five percent of eligible older Americans receive meals; and, on

average, they receive less than three meals per week” (Campbell). Three meals are hardly

enough to meet an average person’s energy needs for a week and only five percent barely

scratches the surface of malnutrition in America, which indicates one of the biggest issues these

services face: funding. As described by one journal, “The sparseness of outcomes research on the

OAA Nutrition Program is one of the reasons why federal funding has grown only 6-fold since

its inception in the 1970s, whereas the plethora of research on the Supplemental Food Program

for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has helped WIC grow its federal funding 332-fold in

the same time period” (Wellman). These issues reduce access to meal services for elderly

individuals, despite the fact that participants that do participate in the program typically receive

good nutrition from the meals themselves. The main nationwide problem is the fact that so few

people make use of the programs and even if they do, there may not be enough funding to

support a person’s week-long diet. In America, “It is estimated that almost 50 percent of older

Americans are malnourished” (Greuling). With such a high statistic, the necessity for nutrition

programs, ideally those with home-delivery services, is clearly evident. These nutrition programs
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are imperative for senior citizens who may not have access to quality food or who do not have

the mental or physical stamina to shop and cook their own meals (Greuling). Nationally and

locally, nutrition programs are instituted to attempt to counteract some of the malnutrition so

commonly seen amongst elderly individuals and to help them with one of the most basic (and

arguably the most important) functions of life: eating.

‘Meals that Connect’ and my job description as a volunteer:

Meals That Connect is a private, non-profit senior nutrition program in San Luis Obispo

that has been active ever since 1991 (Meals That Connect). As described on their website,

“‘Meals That Connect’ serves free nutritious noontime meals every weekday to 1,800 seniors

throughout San Luis Obispo,” and their goal is to “enhance health, restore dignity, support

independence, and reduce isolation” for elderly individuals in the community (Meals That

Connect). These meals are either personally delivered to senior citizens over 60 years old who

cannot leave their homes, or they are offered at various sites where individuals can come

together and meet up as a community to socialize. Each meal is individually prepared and

packaged and contains many nutritious components (vegetables, fruit, protein, etc). ‘Meals That

Connect’ also offers free frozen meals that can be eaten over the weekend (when there are no

meals delivered). For the past 10 weeks, I have been serving at ‘Meals That Connect’ as a

delivery driver. My job was to pick up the pack of meals from the Anderson Hotel on Friday

mornings, drive on my given route to deliver meals door to door, and then interact and socialize

with the senior citizens. Most times, I got the same route, so I visited the same individuals each

week, allowing both parties to see a familiar face. Typically, I visited about 10-12 people each
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time I volunteered. I had the opportunity to have brief conversations with some of the

individuals, and I got a glimpse into their living situations and health.

How ‘Meals That Connect’ promoted my learning:

This volunteer experience undoubtedly helped me with my learning because it made

everything more real to me. I was not responsible for running any formal assessments, but I

made a number of observations while delivering meals. I delivered meals to individuals who had

tremors (likely due to Parkinson’s disease), difficulty hearing, short-term memory loss, slow and

limited movement, and trouble talking. All of these things were health issues I learned about in

class, but I had never really seen them in my own life or with anyone close to me. My goal is to

be a dietician once I finish my schooling, and this was a great opportunity to see the practical

applications of what that means. All of these health problems are quite common amongst elderly

individuals, so it was good to see the real-life implications of those health issues. Learning about

tremors and Parkinson’s disease became more real when I delivered a meal to a man who had a

really hard time taking the meal from my hands. I had to consider how exactly to deliver the

meal to him in a way that still allowed him privacy and independence. I ended up deciding that it

would be best for me to place the meal on a table close to the door so that I did not have to

venture far into his house, but he would be able to have time to move the meal where he liked at

whatever pace he preferred. Seeing someone actually struggle with a disease is vastly different

from learning about the struggles from a screen.

In regards to my observations about the actual meals, I noticed that they were very small.

If I ate one of those meals in my current stage of life, it would be more like a snack than an

actual meal. But, for elderly individuals, it is likely the perfect serving size. This is something I
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have to keep in mind when I become a dietician. Since I learned in class that older individuals

tend to not have a strong desire to eat as much as a young person, it is important to expect that

they will eat less and to make sure that what they do eat is nutrient-dense. Making sure each

meal is packed full of appropriate macronutrients and vitamins can help combat malnutrition in

elderly individuals. I also observed that even though the meals were small, from what I saw, they

consistently had vegetables of some sort, dairy (usually milk), protein, and whole-grain

carbohydrates. MyPlate for older adults stresses the need for elderly individuals to get adequate

fluids and Vitamin D and calcium, so I was very happy to see that the meals included milk

(MyPlate). Additionally, since Vitamin D can come from sun exposure, and most of the

individuals I delivered to were home-bound and did not go outside, making sure adequate

Vitamin D is in their diet is essential for bone and immune health. The wide array of foods, like

chicken, beets, carrots, salad, and tuna, for example, all help elderly adults reach their nutrient

needs (MyPlate). I was happy to see that tuna was in one of the meals because even though some

may not like tuna, it is a great source of healthy fats and helps fulfill the MyPlate suggestion for

healthy oils and adequate protein. Also, each meal had a protein, which is an important

macronutrient in preventing sarcopenia. Good protein levels ultimately increase the quality of

life of individuals and make sure that individuals who already had decreased mobility did not get

drastically worse from muscle loss. Overall, observing each meal helped me understand the way

in which many nutrient requirements can be fulfilled through a single meal that can help improve

the diets of elderly individuals.

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Recommendations for ‘Meals That Connect’:

Overall, I had a good experience with ‘Meals That Connect,’ but based on my

experience, I do have a few suggestions for the agency. My time spent delivering meals opened

my eyes to the number of elderly individuals in the community around me who need help

accessing quality meals. I did not realize that San Luis Obispo has such a large elderly

population because, before this program, I did not interact with them very often. I honestly

believe that although receiving meals is likely the main reason senior citizens are involved with

‘Meals That Connect,’ social interaction is a huge benefit to being involved in the program.

Quality of life, something we talked about extensively in lecture, is not only improved through

health (which is significantly influenced by adequate nutrition) but also through social life!

Many of the individuals I visited looked like they lived alone, and they did not seem to have very

nice living conditions. Their living rooms were often cluttered and dark, likely due to reduced

mobility and a lack of social interaction. So, when I knocked on the door to deliver a meal, many

of them were inclined to have a small conversation with me. Delivering meals was a good

opportunity for me to interact with them and start some brief conversations, but other individuals

seemed hesitant to interact with me, and would even tell me to leave the meal on the porch (and

then as soon as I left, they would open the door to grab the meal). My theory is that the

volunteers for the program change so often, there is not enough time for the delivery person and

the senior citizen to make a connection. I suggest that, as much as possible, volunteers maintain

at least a consistent two to three-month schedule with the program. I also suggest that they wear

name tags so that they are more easily recognizable, and also that they are given more training

and advice on how to start conversations with the elderly individuals who they are delivering

meals to. I think this would help foster better communication and relationships so that ‘Meals
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That Connect’ truly fulfills its mission. I’m sure my experience was somewhat hindered as a

result of Covid, and perhaps the elderly individuals did not want to interact out of fear of

exposure to Covid, but I still believe my suggestions would be beneficial to the organization.

How ‘Meals That Connect’ influenced and bettered my education:

‘Meals that Connect’ was a very good experience, and I plan on continuing to volunteer

with the organization. Overall, the program improved my perspective to see how nutrition

changes for older individuals, but most importantly, it made me more empathetic. It challenged

me to consider what it would be like to be in these people’s shoes: living alone and having a

meal delivered that I could not even customize or choose what was inside. I honestly can’t

imagine. It is incredibly important to remember that “clients” and senior citizens who I learn

about through videos or lectures are still people with wants and needs, and when I eventually

advise them about nutrition, I must never take away their freedom to choose or control what they

put into their bodies. I have to remember to always see people as people and not as the disease or

health issue they happen to be hindered by.

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Works Cited

Campbell, Anthony D, et al. “Does Participation in Home-Delivered Meals Programs

Improve Outcomes for Older Adults? Results of a Systematic Review.” Journal of

Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480596/#R5.

Greuling, Holly Kellner. “Combatting Senior Malnutrition.” Administration for Community

Living, 28 Sept. 2016, https://acl.gov/news-and-events/acl-blog/combatting-senior

-malnutrition.

Meals That Connect | Senior Nutrition Program | San Luis Obispo.

https://www.mealsthatconnect.org/.

MyPlate, US Department of Agriculture, https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/older-adults.

Wellman, Nancy S. “Aging at Home: More Research on Nutrition and Independence,

Please.” American Society for Nutrition, 2010, https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc

/download?doi=10.1.1.896.9512&rep=rep1&type=pdf.

Zhu, Huichen, and Ruopeng An. “Impact of Home-Delivered Meal Programs on Diet and \

Nutrition among Older Adults: A Review - Huichen Zhu, Ruopeng an, 2013.”

SAGE Journals, 10 June 2014, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177

/0260106014537146.