This week we celebrated the dedication of the volunteers who deliver hundreds of thousands of meals to older Australians every year, via “Meals on Wheels”.
I remember when my dad used to take us kids on his “Meals on Wheels”round to deliver food to the elderly, and even though I was only young I do remember the smiles on people’s faces when we turned up.
Disturbing statistics reveal around 40% of older Australians are malnourished.
When Anne Wulf, (pictured below) from Orange, NSW, landed in hospital because she wasn’t eating properly, she was referred to ‘Meals on Wheels’.
Ms Wulf says, “Twelve months on I think I’ve found the right balance. Now I don’t have to do the shopping and quite honestly, a visit from ‘Meals on Wheels’ is the only contact I have with somebody the whole week.”
Wednesday 28th August was ‘National Wheels on Meals’ Day and coincided with the launch of a new Recipe Resource eBook, that provides recipes created specifically for Australian seniors.
‘Meals on Wheels Australia’ is also appealing to the Federal Government to fund more preventatives for malnutrition among seniors.
The organisation’s President, Sharyn Broer says,
“Meals on Wheels Australia is calling on the Australian Government to double its investment in meal support through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) to make it simpler, fairer and more affordable for older Australians to receive meal services.
This $80 million additional investment means older Australians would pay only for the cost of the ingredients used in their meals, making payments fair and affordable, regardless of which Government funding program they are eligible to access or where they live.”
The organisation believes the Australian Government’s investment in meal services, accounting for 3.6% of the $2.4 billion Commonwealth Home Support Program budget, is grossly unfair considering consumers pay one to two times as much as the funding.
Ms Broer says, “Delivery of nutritious meals, social interaction and a friendly check of a client’s well-being by volunteers can help people live the lives they choose in the comfort of their own homes, where they are often happiest.”
To find out more about Australian Meals on Wheels, head to their website here.
