Improving Health Outcomes for Vulnerable Older Adults
Nutritious Meals are Just the Start
We all know that the main focus of Meals on Wheels is to support our older neighbors to live independent and healthy lives as they age. Our organization does this by providing daily delicious and nutritious meals.
Our volunteers and staff also provide important in-home safety checks, social interactions, and connections to other community-based service providers and resources.
All of these moving parts work together to help improve our clients’ quality of life.
Every visit is an opportunity to not only meet the nutritional needs of our client, but it is a weapon against social isolation, a tool to address safety hazards, and a method by which we can provide holistic care.
Meals on Wheels is more than a meal delivery service - it’s an entire social movement aimed at supporting our most vulnerable neighbor in need.
What are the cost savings of meals on wheels?
As mentioned earlier, the mission of Meals on Wheels is to improve the lives of older Americans by fostering independence through nutritious meals and the daily human contact they desire and need.
By serving as the “eyes and ears” in the homes of our most vulnerable neighbors, our volunteers and staff are able to observe firsthand any changes in physical and mental conditions.
Our volunteers are trained to identify risks before they become problems. Our staff can then address problems before they become major health issues, and these health issues can often be solved before they become catastrophic and costly.
Did you know that Meals on Wheels can serve an individual for an entire year for about the same cost as just one day in a hospital or 10 days in a nursing home?
In the state of Colorado, the average cost of 1 home-delivered meal runs about $13.06*. Compare that to the $3045 for a one-day stay in a hospital or $270 for a day in a nursing home. *(Inflation-adjusted regional average).
Meals on Wheels is a cost-effective alternative that healthcare providers and families are looking for when considering unnecessary hospitalizations, reducing hospital readmissions, and post-discharge needs - all through our model of daily nutrition, socialization, and safety checks.
We are able to provide both long-term preventative services - including nutrition, socialization, safety checks, and connections to community resources, and short-term post-discharge services. We can work with medical providers and individual families depending on the client’s needs.
signing up to receive meal delivery service
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud serves anyone living in southern Larimer County with limited ability to shop for food and prepare their own meals due to a physical or mental disability, age, or illness. Meals may also be delivered, short-term, to anyone recovering from surgery or hospitalization.
We deliver fresh hot meals every weekday, and frozen meals are delivered once a week. Clients may order up to seven additional frozen meals for evenings and weekends.
To be eligible for delivery, clients must meet the following criteria:
Be homebound and unable to shop or cook due to a physical or mental disability or recent hospitalization
Live in Loveland, Berthoud, Masonville, Carter Lake, or southern Larimer County
Be 60 years of age or older, or under 60 with a disability
Clients age 60 and Over – Due to special funding through the Older Americans Act - meals are available on a voluntary contribution basis. Suggested contributions are individually determined based on the number of meals received. No older adult is ever denied service based on an inability to pay.
Clients under age 60 - There is a sliding scale starting at $2.25 per meal. Clients are charged on the basis of the meals they receive.
If you know someone who might benefit from Meals on Wheels meal delivery, and you would like to make a referral, you can fill out a referral form online here.
One of our Client Specialists will contact you to walk you through the complete intake process.
All Clients must speak with a Client Specialist before meal delivery can begin.
working together we can help solve the problem of hunger & isolation
Inadequate nutrition and limited social interaction can have negative health consequences that affect individuals, our healthcare system, and ultimately, our greater communities and the economy.
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud is working to address these issues head-on by delivering nutritious meals, providing friendly visits, and conducting regular safety checks on older adults that run the risk of hunger and isolation.
To find out more on how you can get involved in this social movement for good, reach out to our team to volunteer or donate here.
Meals on Wheels Team