Meals on Wheels, Confirm OK help combat senior isolation through daily wellness checks
CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — As the senior population continues to grow, so do the challenges many older adults face while aging in place. For those living alone, limited access to nutritious meals and social isolation can have a significant impact on both physical and mental health.
Programs such as Meals on Wheels America and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office’s Confirm OK program are working to address those challenges by providing regular wellness checks, companionship and, in some cases, nutritious meals.
For 83-year-old Micki Jay, the daily calls and optional visits through the Confirm OK program have become much more than a safety check.
The computer-based program calls participants at a scheduled time each day, asking them to confirm they are OK.
“It just is a nice way for me to begin my day every morning. I make sure I’m right by that phone, and if I am not, they’ll call a second time,” said Jay.
If those calls go unanswered, Master Deputy Glen Pederson says the program follows up in person if necessary.
“After the third one, if they still do not record their phone call by pressing 1 and the #, then we will make all our means to make contact with them, whether it be us coming to their house, calling their neighbors, or whatever contacts that they give us, we will come and check on them and make sure that they are okay,” said Pederson.
While in-person visits are optional, Jay says they have become one of her favorite parts of the program because of the relationships she has built with volunteers.
“It’s more than an obligation; there’s a feeling. We get to know each other, and they’ll know, if I don’t answer, something’s wrong, and they’re right on scene, and they care,” she said.
Meals on Wheels America provides a similar connection by delivering nutritious meals to homebound seniors while also checking on their well-being. The organization is urging Congress to increase funding, saying many local Meals on Wheels programs have waiting lists because they lack the resources to serve every senior in need.
Josh Protas, chief advocacy and policy officer for Meals on Wheels America, says the program supports far more than nutritional needs.
“The nutritious meals are meeting their nutritional needs and helping to head off malnutrition and hunger, but we’re also nourishing their need to connect with other human beings. We know that social isolation and loneliness have been declared an epidemic and impacts physical health and mental health, so it makes a huge difference,” said Protas.
Sergeant Gene Moore says programs like Confirm OK provide reassurance for seniors who may not have family nearby.
“It also gives them a sense of security that, you know, hey, if they don’t have any family around or anything like that, at least somebody is checking on them every single day, and we’re going to get up with them one way or another,” said Moore.
Information about applying for the Confirm OK program can be found on the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office website.
