Meals on Wheels

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Established: 1980

The objectives of the Meals-on-Wheels project is to meet the nutritional, security, health, financial and emotional needs of the elderly amongst the poorest of the poor. Through this programme, the elders are given provisions and protein-rich supplements, every month. Clothes, bedding, physiotherapy, medical cover, outings and occupational therapy are also provided on a regular basis. Eye care screening and cataract surgeries are conducted free of cost with the support from reputed Eye Care Hospitals in Chennai.

Since the elderly are provided with financial, nutritional and medical support through the M-O-W programme, their families are willing to keep them at home and do not consider them a burden. The elders are thus able to spend their twilight years with dignity and security.

Over close to 3 decades, Meals-on-Wheels and HelpAge India have worked in close association and jointly implemented different projects to bring about a positive and lasting impact on the lives of the needy older persons.

Apart from providing rations, M-O-W runs a Day Care Centre for the Aged, at Samireddypalayam which provides shelter and food for 15 elders during the day. They are also given medicines and counselling. At the Centre, the elders help in making condiments and dry snacks which are then sold to various units of the Guild of Service. This is an income generating project for the benefit of the day care elders.

The M-O-W also runs a Geriatric Health Centre at Samireddypalayam (SRP) for the elderly members of the local community. Nearly 300 patients are being looked after on a regular basis. Health parameters are monitored, and medicines are given regularly. Patients are referred to specialists, whenever necessary. The clinic is open two days a week and medicines are provided free to the elderly patients who suffer from diabetes, blood pressure, acidity, respiratory infections, joint pains etc. Multivitamins and calcium supplements too are given. Besides medicines, the doctor also counsels the elders on health, hygiene, exercise and diet. This Centre is funded by HelpAge India and is a boon to the elders as well as the entire community. Physiotherapy treatment sessions are organised to address the needs of the patients with knee, neck and joint pains. The doctor has also been counselling the elders to get themselves vaccinated to fight Covid infection.

The M-O-W programme also ensures the elders have fun days and hires a bus and takes them on picnics and outings within the city. Due to COVID, this has been on hold for the past couple of years and we hope to restart this soon.

Smt.Neelamal, aged 76years would hardly get a meal a day. Her family constantly threatened to throw her out. With no place to go, she constantly lived in fear praying for an early death till she met our social worker from Meals on Wheels. As part of the Meals on Wheels project she is now supported with monthly rations and medicines from our Geriatric centre for her Diabetes and Hypertension. She is grateful for the timely support and has become a spokesperson for the Meals on Wheels –Nutrition Support programme.

She has attended the Group counselling arranged for the elders to face the pandemic and other age-related issues. She attended these sessions and motivated other elders to attend the counselling session too.

Smt.Alamelu, aged 72years lives under a staircase of a building. She sells flowers and earns a meagre amount which is not enough to sustain herself. Her children had deserted her long ago. She has severe asthma issues and knee pain. During rainy days she is unable to earn any money, in great distress she was found crying and hungry by the local residents. One of them who knew about the elders programme of GOS Meals on Wheels called us and our social worker immediately went to meet her.

They found her hungry and severely depressed. They gave her rations, pocket money and clothes. Our counsellors visited her regularly and counselled her. Now she comes to collect rations on her own and attends all our group counselling sessions. With our support she has restarted her flower selling business. She is grateful for our timely support. Alamelu has the courage to face all the challenges life has thrown at her and now lives a life of dignity in her twilight years.