Will your grandmother go hungry? Future of Meals on Wheels is uncertain. | Opinion
Federal investment in programs like Meals on Wheels has neither kept pace with the skyrocketing demand from America's aging population, nor with the rising costs of food, fuel and labor.
- Meals on Wheels, which provides essential nutrition to older Americans, faces funding challenges despite increasing demand.
- Meals on Wheels not only delivers meals but also provides crucial social interaction and can help prevent larger health issues.
- Federal funding hasn't kept up with rising costs and a growing senior population, leading to waiting lists and service reductions.
- While donations and volunteers are vital, increased federal investment is crucial for the program's long-term sustainability.
For 60 years, Meals on Wheels has ensured that older Americans get the nutrition they need in the safety and comfort of their home. But the future of this essential program is far from secure.
Despite decades of bipartisan support, federal investment in programs like Meals on Wheels has neither kept pace with the skyrocketing demand from America’s aging population, nor with the rising costs of food, fuel and labor.
Today, one in three Meals on Wheels providers have a waiting list, and many others are being forced to reduce meal deliveries or cut back on visits.
That’s not just a service gap; it’s a warning sign.
Approximately 90% of our local providers rely on federal funding, and for 60% of them, that funding accounts for at least half of their budgets, underscoring the critical role federal support plays in sustaining one of the nation's most worthwhile and efficient programs.
Despite serving 2.2 million older adults annually, the need has never been greater. The number of older adults facing food insecurity has quadrupled, emblematic of a growing crisis that demands immediate action.
Federal funding is essential to keep the wheels rolling
While donations and volunteers are essential to keep our wheels rolling, they simply cannot fill the widening gap left by continually insufficient federal support. Without sustained and increased investment, this indispensable safety net will continue to fray.
In 1965, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed the Older Americans Act − the first federally funded nationwide program designed to preserve the dignity, independence and well-being of older adults.
For six decades, the law has provided for meal deliveries to shut-ins; adult day care and respite care for caregivers; transportation to doctors' offices; social connections, health and wellness activities at senior centers; and protection from elder abuse and fraud.
But the lack of sufficient funding puts those services at risk even as the population of older Americans grows.
Meals on Wheels provides food and social connection for older Americans
We simply cannot continue to overlook the needs of older adults in this country or treat them as afterthoughts. Our country is projected to include more than 97 million people over the age of 60 by 2040 and, as our population ages, we need to scale programs that are trusted, proven and have withstood the test of time.
Programs like Meals on Wheels keep older adults healthier, reduce strain on our health care system and support caregivers and families across every zip code in America.
This powerful network of providers delivers nutritious meals and, perhaps as importantly, moments of connection to seniors throughout the year for roughly the same cost as one day in a hospital or 10 days in a nursing home.
This is just one example of the incredible return on investment made possible by this successful public-private partnership that also delivers care and compassion to people who may be socially isolated and lonely, which 56% of older Americans are.
In fact, the Meals on Wheels staff or volunteer knocking on the door may be the only person a senior sees in a day, or even a week.
These brief interactions can be preventative, often catching small health issues before they become critical and expensive medical emergencies, thus helping to avert unnecessary trips to the emergency room, hospital admissions and long-term care placements.
Policymakers face a clear choice: invest in preventative, community-based solutions now, or pay far more later, in avoidable institutional and emergency care.
The math is simple; the morality is even clearer.
On the 60th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, let's do more than celebrate a legacy. Let’s commit to securing its future by funding what works.
Ellie Hollander is the chief executive officer for Meals On Wheels America.