OPINION: Meals on Wheels turns my way

In many ways, retirement for me has been an unexpected — and welcome — education.

It still is.

I have to admit, for example, that I’ve heard about Meals on Wheels for decades. But until recently, I’ve actually known very little about the program that helps senior citizens “live healthier and more nourished lives in their own homes,” as described by the national “Meals on Wheels America” website.

My previous ignorance on the subject wasn’t because the program, the roots of which reach all the way back to the mid-1950s, is obscure — or that it’s difficult to find information about it. But though I’ve been retired for more than five years now, I’ve simply never needed to know more about Meals on Wheels.

Not my idea

Moreover, it wasn’t my idea, or effort, to look into the program that supports more than 5,000 community-based and independently run sites “in virtually every community” across the country, according to its website.

Shortly before retiring from The Vidette as a reporter five years ago, I became a member of Group Health Cooperative in Olympia, acquired last year by Kaiser Permanente. Through my Medicare Advantage plan, I have been receiving amazing medical care, which I often describe to others as “the best I have ever received.” Additionally, the customer service there has always been fantastic.

Last month, I learned of a recent expansion in a service at Kaiser Permanente’s Olympia Medical Center — Community Resource specialists. In light of some disturbing new and dreadfully painful medical issues, I talked with a delightful specialist named Shauna Netherton, who brought up the subject of Meals on Wheels and wondered if I might be interested in the program.

I told Shauna I wasn’t sure I qualified for it, but she offered to get the ball rolling for me to receive some information, which I was happy to have her do, since cooking, grocery shopping and even getting in and out of my car have become enormously difficult for me.

She did so right away, and it wasn’t long before, again through her assistance, I was contacted by a friendly woman who took my application for Meals on Wheels by phone. The lady called me back a short time later the same day to let me know that I was “absolutely approved.”

Because I would receive two hot and five frozen meals per week, I asked for few days to make some room in my freezer. And soon, Meals on Wheels volunteers were at my door with the first delivery.

But there’s more

The national website also emphasizes that Meals on Wheels is about far more than delivering meals to seniors who need that service, as great as it is. It also helps keep senior citizens “at home, where they want to be,” the site says.

Additionally, the service also includes “companionship and a watchful eye on the health and safety of our seniors,” the website continues. “For those who have trouble getting around, we bring the service to you. For those who can still venture out into their communities, we serve in gathering places, such as senior centers and community facilities.”

Each site in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties has its own way of doing that, though. It’s even likely that no two are identical, and understandable, I think, that some “major” on some elements of those services more than others. And some offer services more often than others.

Through its Senior Nutrition Program, according to the Grays Harbor Coastal Community Action Program, based in Aberdeen, it aims at helping to “increase the nutrient intake of older individuals who might not eat adequately and through better nutrition, assist them to remain healthy and independent in their communities,” CCAP’s website notes.

Such a deal.

For more information about Meals on Wheels and other Senior Nutrition Program services or how to volunteer with Meals on Wheels, which would be greatly appreciated, folks in both counties can call (360) 500-4541.

Tommi Halvorsen Gatlin is a retired reporter, who still contributes to The Vidette. Contact her by emailing the editor at editor@thevidette.com