Independence is often a driving force behind personal purpose and fulfillment, but it’s not always a given. As we move through life, we’re forced to confront a variety of threats to that independence – from job loss and income changes, to injury or illness or even the loss of a spouse or loved one. Some of the most significant challenges to our coveted independence are those inevitably brought on by the natural process of aging. It’s these largely out-of-our-control hurdles that Meals on Wheels is dedicated to helping millions of our homebound senior neighbors navigate.

Of these age-related threats to independent living, perhaps the greatest is falls. Unfortunately, it can take just one fall to serve as a catalyst for a downward spiral in an individual’s health and, ultimately, their independence. Read on to discover how Meals on Wheels is uniquely suited to mitigate falls among seniors, improving their quality of life and saving our country billions of dollars in healthcare spending in the process.

Falls and Seniors

Falls are the main cause of serious injuries and accidental deaths in older adults. An estimated 36 million seniors suffer a fall each year – a staggering number that contributes to over $50 billion in healthcare spending annually.

So, why do seniors fall? Contributing factors can be anything from personal impairments, like poor eyesight or hearing, to a person’s medication – particularly those that can make users unsteady on their feet. And, it doesn’t stop there. Certain aspects of an individual’s home can present yet more fall hazards for older adults, such as stairs that can become impossible to climb, narrow doorways that are tough to move through, or tubs and showers that are difficult to get in and out of.

Each of these factors increases the likelihood that an individual will experience a fall at some point, setting the stage for a negative long-term impact and presenting a significant threat to a person’s ability to age in place independently.

That’s where Meals on Wheels comes in.

Meals on Wheels’ Dedication to Falls Prevention

Meals on Wheels America and our national network are committed to ensuring that all seniors have the opportunity to live nourished lives with dignity and independence in their own homes. Our in-home safety initiative, recognizes that, while seniors may be ready to age-in-place in their homes, their homes may not be ready for them. Our work addresses these age-specific needs of seniors by exploring the hazards they face in their homes and engineering the solutions to prevent injury from falls and improve their quality of life.

The focus of this work is on removing physical threats to safety and increasing accessibility through a range of both large- and small-scale projects. From fixing carpets, installing shower bars and building ramps to replacing roofs, or even conducting large structural home overhauls, our work seeks to minimize a senior’s risk of falling so they can live with more safety and peace of mind in their own homes for longer.

Meals on Wheels America offers funding to local programs for the home repair projects that keep seniors safe. Over the past six years, grants supporting senior veterans have been made possible through a national partnership with The Home Depot Foundation as part of its mission to improve the homes and lives of our nation’s heroes.

The homes of more than 1,500 senior veterans across the country are now safer thanks to our collaboration with The Home Depot Foundation, Team Depot associate volunteers and local Meals on Wheels programs.

One of the newest local Meals on Wheels programs participating in this collaboration is in Fairbanks, AK, and they are already making the homes of seniors in their community safer. Don’t take our word for it, let Bob’s story show you how.

More than just a statistic – Bob’s story

Having joined the U.S. Army as an engineer in 1972, much of Bob’s adult life had been spent serving others. This included years of volunteering to help seniors receiving Meals on Wheels in his community.

Then the time came when Bob, himself, was the one who needed Meals on Wheels. By then, the house he shares with his grandchildren had begun to show signs of its age and lost some of its structural integrity. New safety hazards were popping up all around, like unsteady deck and stairs. After falling through the deck on multiple occasions, Bob decided that he needed help.

Thankfully, his local Meals on Wheels program showed up to repair Bob’s home and make it safer. But, as they tried to reach his house, they quickly discovered that the steep driveway was nearly impassible for the workers and their equipment alike – further illuminating the daily struggles and health hazards that exacerbated Bob’s heart condition.

The decision was made to fix the dilapidated deck and stairs, in addition to providing a new driveway, using grant funding from Meals on Wheels America.

“The work they did for me has improved the quality of not only my life, but my grandkids, as well,” Bob remarked, “I hope that a lot more veterans will make use of this opportunity and accept a helping hand.”

Building Toward Safety for All Seniors

Bob is not the only one. Stories like his are commonly heard among Meals on Wheels programs across the country and serve as a reminder that solutions and interventions can go a long way toward guaranteeing an older adult’s dignity and independence.

It’s important to recognize that our falls prevention work is just the beginning. There’s not one single solution to keeping seniors safe in their own homes. Instead, this is one of the many tools in the Meals on Wheels toolkit to help address in-home safety for the seniors you love.