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    MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS

    Meals on Wheels Client

    A GROWING POPULATION WITH INCREASING HEALTH CHALLENGES

    One in four Americans is 60 or older, with an additional 12,000 turning 60 each day. This population is projected to reach 118 million by 2060 – increasing the number of seniors today by more than half. Among this rapidly growing population, nearly 95% of older adults have at least one chronic condition, while nearly 80% have two or more chronic conditions.

    Increasingly, older adults need access to nutritious meals and comprehensive services that can help them manage their chronic conditions.

    MEALS TAILORED TO SUPPORT MEDICAL CONDITIONS

    Meals on Wheels Delivery

    Meals on Wheels America defines medically tailored meals as fully prepared meals produced or sourced under the consultation of a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) or state-credentialed nutrition professional to support an older adult’s medical condition. 

    Tailored nutrition is one of the keys to addressing chronic illnesses and can be an asset to helping older adults live healthy and independent lives. Conditions where nutrition is vital can include hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. 

    LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO NATIONAL CHALLENGES

    Local Meals on Wheels programs are already delivering on the changing needs of older adults, including providing medically tailored meals.   

    MEALS ON WHEELS PEOPLE – PORTLAND, OREGON 
     Meals on Wheels People’s holistic approach to patient care includes condition monitoring, nutrition education and social connection programming, and all services are inclusive, person-first and trauma-informed. Medically tailored meals are available for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), diabetes, chronic heart disease and renal disorders.   

    MOBILE MEALS OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA – TUSCON, ARIZONA 
     Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona provides meals that are designed by local chefs and dietitians at partner medical facilities and tailored to health conditions. Special meal options include cardiac, diabetic, renal, cancer support, soft foods, pureed, finely chopped, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, low sodium, low sugar, low fat, low calorie.  

    FRESH MEALS ON WHEELS – SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN 
     Fresh Meals on Wheels offers a general diet and other meals tailored to meet medical needs, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney or renal disease, celiac disease, and others. All meals can be texture-modified to meet the needs of those with chewing or swallowing challenges.  

    Offerings vary by program. Find your local provider to learn more.

    FIND LOCAL PROVIDER

    ADVOCACY AGENDA 

    The medically tailored meal services provided by Meals on Wheels programs directly align with the national strategy released at the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, as well as similar bipartisan proposals in Congress. The Administration calls for hospitals and health care providers to work with local groups and community-based organizations to help reduce hospital admissions or readmissions by offering medically tailored meals and other nutrition services.   

    More funding and support are needed to scale and provide more medically tailored meal services to our most deserving seniors. Community-based senior nutrition programs require increased resources to expand these services and pay for meal preparation, production, procurement and delivery.   
    We urge Congress and the Administration to expand Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to food as medicine interventions by:  

    • Implementing medically tailored meal pilots and initiatives that utilize community-based senior nutrition programs, including through traditional Medicare. 
    • Establishing home-delivered meals provided by community-based senior nutrition programs as a fully reimbursable benefit through Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. 

    LEARN ABOUT ADVOCACY

    MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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    Join us in the fight against hunger and isolation. We can’t do it alone. You are the key to ensure that our senior neighbors are not forgotten about, left alone and hungry. Find a way to get involved by clicking the button below and make a difference in your own way. Together, we can deliver.™

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