Our mission: To promote the dignity and independence of older adults, persons with disabilities, and other homebound persons by delivering nutritious meals and providing or coordinating needed services.
This means we serve those residents of Tarrant County who 1) are homebound for any length of time because of age and/or disability, 2) are not physically or mentally able to prepare a balanced, nutritious lunch for themselves, and 3) do not have anyone available to help them prepare this type of meal on a regular basis. These residents cannot afford the negative effects of diminished nutrition on their health and cannot make use of food stamps or food banks. They also may suffer from a negative emotional state because they do not know where their next meal will come from and do not have a voice. Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County is their voice. We are unique among home-delivered meal programs because we focus on helping the client remain independent, and that often involves much more than nutrition.
Because they are homebound, many of our clients are isolated from human contact, leading them further into depression. Our volunteer drivers provide a smiling face and kind words. The homebound also have everyday needs, such as changing a light bulb and getting the mail, that they cannot perform independently. Our volunteers are happy to lend a hand. They also are our eyes and ears for this population. They call us to report clients who do not answer the door or who appear to have a change in their health or home needs. Most of our clients do not have friends or family to check on them every day. We fill in for that need and make sure every client is accounted for every delivery day.
History
In 1972, representatives from 11 downtown Fort Worth churches formed the Association of Central City Ministries (ACCM). Its first concern was services to the elderly, and ACCM made the commitment to bring food to the elderly in the central city area. On May 15, 1973, Meals On Wheels was begun using all volunteer help.
Meals On Wheels became its own agency in 1977 to better meet the need for home-delivered meals throughout Tarrant County. In 1980, Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County assumed responsibility of the Arlington Meals On Wheels. The organization continued growing and, in 1989, addressed the need for lower costs and better quality control by purchasing a building and renovating it into a central kitchen and administrative office. In 2001, the ever-increasing need for home-delivered meals to the elderly and disabled residents of Tarrant County coupled with an expansion of meal preparation for neighboring counties spurred Meals On Wheels to enlarge the central kitchen, office, and garage.
Evaluation/Outcomes
Each client is evaluated by a professional case manager before going on the meal program. Clients are then evaluated every 90 days to determine if they are still eligible and if they need any additional assistance. Clients are visited in their home so that case managers can assess their environment and ability to maintain independent living. The case managers ask questions related to activities of daily living, nutrition, physical and mental well-being, and resources available (financial and family) to help in times of immediate need.
Clients receive a survey at least once annually to determine if the meals provided help them remain independent and if our volunteers and staff provide friendly, thorough service. Space is provided to list anything that was not addressed in the survey questions or is embarrassing/sensitive to the client to tell us directly. We record all comments and try to respond to them. We also receive calls and notes from our clients daily and record their comments.
The most powerful changes made in response to client surveys are the addition of breakfast meals, entrée choices (the option to select an entrée for each day), beverage choices, and the client services program.
Recent Accomplishments
New programs in the past three years include:
- Choice meals: Giving our clients a choice between two entrees and four beverages every day improves the likelihood they will consume the entire meal.
- Breakfast meals: Many of our clients withheld taking prescription medication until their meal came at noon. We began delivering a breakfast meal with the noon meal so these clients could eat the next day before lunch arrived.
- Diabetes management: Diabetes is a significant problem among the elderly. We started a project to work directly with diabetic clients to improve their self-management of the disease. During the first year, 61% of clients in the program reduced their Hemoglobin A1C scores. This program has received two national awards: one from the U.S. Administration on Aging in 2007 and one from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging in 2009.
