HelpProtectOlderAdults In YourCommunity

Become the Medicare program approximately $60 billion dollars a result of er

Each year theMedicareprogram loses approximately$60 billiondollars as aresultoferrors,fraud andabuse.

TheselossesaffectallAmericans.

It affects thosewho dependonMedicareand Medical Assistance by diminishingthe qualityofthe treatment they receive.Itaffectscaregiversbydecreasingthe fundingavailable forimportant programs.And it affects ever yone whopaystaxes by wastingbillions of tax dollars.

Youcanhelpbybecoming avolunteerto helpthepeopleinyourarea!

CallHelenwiththeSeniorLinkAgeLine® at (800)333-2433tolearnmore.

Otherwaysyoucanvolunteer:

•Helping give presentationstoolderadultsin yourcommunity

•Helping older Minnesotanscompleteapplicationsandforms

•Providingoffice supportand data entr yhelpfor staff at DancingSky AAA www.dancingskyaaa.org the four routes that the Alexandria site currently has. Each route takes about two hours, she noted.

One of the routes is the Garfield/Brandon/Evansville area, while the other three are based in Alexandria. Typically, she said, drivers arrive at the Alexandria Senior Center between 9:30 and 10 a.m. to check their route sheets for any changes or additions and then load up their meals for the day before they are off.

GPS, maps and knowledge of the area are all tools that help volunteer drivers get the meals to where they need to go, said Baker.

“Our drivers come from a wide array of interests,” she said. “Some were teachers. Some were lawyers, architects and engineers. Some drive year-round, while some are seasonal.”

New drivers are usually sent out a time or two with an experienced driver so they can see how everything works.

The Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteer drivers. Anyone interested is asked to call 320-762-4280 or stop into the Alexandria Senior Center.

A Little History

According to Wikipedia, the Meals on Wheels program originated in the United Kingdom during the Blitz in the Second World War, which was a time when people lost their homes and therefore ability to cook food for themselves. The Women’s Volunteer Service for Civil Defense helped to provide food for people. The name “Meals on Wheels” derived from the delivery method of bringing meals in prams, carts, bicycles with baskets, cars and other wheeled vehicles.

The first delivery was made in 1943.

In the United States, a program was developed in 1954 at the request of the Philadelphia Health and Welfare Council to meet the dietary needs of homebound seniors and other shut-ins who would otherwise go hungry. After that, programs started popping up all over the United States and into Canada.

According to information provided by Baker, a 2013 study found that home delivered meals improve diet quality and increase nutrient intake among participants.

Nutrition Services Inc., a privately owned nonprofit corporation started by Larry Kroeger of Waseca, was awarded the bid to serve a nine-county area in west-central Minnesota, which includes Douglas County, she said.

There are a total of 10 kitchen sites and contracts with restaurants and nursing homes and satellite locations.