Joel Roy was a dedicated high school teacher for most of his work life. A self-described “late bloomer” from a family with a strong work ethic, he fell in love with the profession. 

His first position after college was at a Western Vermont school in Farmington, where he entrenched himself in all aspects of the school community. He kept the score at basketball and football games, helped kids sell tickets and was an official at track and field events, including javelin, shot put and discus competitions. 

“I really got involved; I loved it,” Joel says. Then, his father, a career entrepreneur in Aroostook County, decided to retire, and Joel moved back home to take over the family’s pizza shop. That lasted for a year and a half before teaching, his true calling, beckoned him back into the field. 

Health Challenges and Retirement

He moved to Connecticut, where he taught for 19 years. Only months before his 20th year, his health challenges forced him to retire at 60. Joel suffers from osteoarthritis down his spine, in addition to countless other ailments.

At 65 years old, he’s primarily homebound, has given up driving (his reaction time is significantly slowed as a defensive driver by nature) and struggles to walk around the block — one of the few physical activities that helps him maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. He’s also mildly asthmatic, which is triggered by the summer heat. 

His family wants him to go into assisted living, but he values his independence and the comfort of his home, where he’s settled for more than five years with his beloved cat. 

Joel says Meals on Wheels is one of the main reasons he can maintain his weight, keep his walking regime and stay home.

“I'm only 65; I still got a lot of life to go,” Joel says. “Meals on Wheels [made it easier] for me to eat healthier. It's perfect; the portion size is perfect, and I like variety.” 

There’s optimism in his strained voice, thanks mainly to his improved health, despite Joel’s situation putting him on the wrong side of an unsettling statistic: One in two seniors living alone lacks income for basic needs. 

Joel receives a $30,000-a-year pension, which is not nearly enough to cover the cost of food, housing, and medicine. Yet, the amount makes him ineligible for Section 8 Housing or MaineCare, which provides health care coverage for Maine’s children and adults who are elderly, disabled or with low incomes. As a result, he has to pay for his health care.

When Joel initially inquired about Meals on Wheels, he wasn’t sure if he qualified. The good news was that he was approved; the bad news was that he had to go on a waitlist, where he waited two years.

While on the waitlist, his health began to deteriorate. 

“I started having medical issues beyond what I already have because my diet consisted of frozen meals you buy at the grocery store,” Joel says.  My hands were starting to cripple — I can’t turn knobs anymore —  and cooking became a challenge. At the time, I didn't have a home care worker. Well, what's wrong with those frozen meals? After eating them for a couple of years, [because of] the salt content, my body started blowing up.”

It’s a jarring reminder that seniors having food in the fridge or freezer to ensure they don’t go hungry does not mean they are getting the nutrients to be healthy and thrive — a critical reason Meals on Wheels meals are designed for the nutritional needs of seniors.

Joel has struggled with weight his whole life. At one point, he weighed as much as 375 pounds. He’s now down to 204 pounds. The weight gain before Meals on Wheels and his lifelong vertigo, which affects his balance, were contributing factors to his falling a year and a half ago and suffering a broken shoulder. 

Vertigo is a lingering issue from the Ménière's disease he experienced in his younger years. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders describes Ménière's as “a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear.”

Shots in Joel’s right ear are required to manage his vertigo, which led to hearing loss in the right ear. 

This combination of ailments makes walking from room to room dangerous, let alone climbing stairs or navigating the unpredictable conditions that being outside present; falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in people 65 years of age and older, and are the primary cause of hospitalization related to injury. 

The Impact of Meals on Wheels on Joel's Life

To say Meals on Wheels has been a life-changing presence in his life is an understatement.

“The nice thing about the Meals on Wheels is they give you flyers,” Joel says. “Sometimes it's a word search, but sometimes it's information. Being a former school teacher, I read those flyers, and there's one point about [the importance of] two hours of physical activity a week.”

The flyer prompted Joel to make regular walks a goal. His short walks take him about 30-35 minutes. They are enough to keep him active and are a major part of his commitment to being more health-conscious, given his growing health issues. 

It’s a perfect example of the power of Meals on Wheels, which might just prolong Joel's life. The nutritious meals, educational component and life-saving benefits of social connection that combat loneliness — which the Surgeon General declared an epidemic in 2023 — have been transformational. They showed him what was possible.

He intends to enjoy the years ahead, including the occasional bingo games at the local American Legion he attends with his home care worker.

Meals on Wheels serves over 2 million seniors like Joel every year, but too many still await help. That's why we are introducing a plan to End the Wait, and ensure that every senior who needs Meals on Wheels gets it.

See how you can support the goal to End the Wait.