Episode 207: Meals on Wheels and Their Fight to Provide Healthy Meals for Older Adults
About the Podcast
For today’s episode, Clancy talks with L. Carter Florence, DrPH, MPH, Vice President of Programs at Meals on Wheels America. She has been working in food access for nearly two decades, and with this, you will surely get tons of healthy discussions about how Meals on Wheels started, its impact on the community, and the qualifications to get into it. They also talked about the role of older adults at the table for policy making. Listen and enjoy the show!
About L. Carter Florence
L. Carter Florence has a long history of working with and supporting community-based organizations to successfully design and implement health improvement programs and policies, specifically in rural and underserved areas. Being the Vice President of Programs at Meals on Wheels America, she is passionate about collaborating with unique partners to improve the health of communities.
Discussion Takeaways
- Food is so central. There is nothing more powerful than feeding someone because a nourishing meal can have a tremendous impact on an individual's life and movement.
- Meals on Wheels was founded in response to World War II. It was really a cool grassroots movement, and it popped up all over the place. Later, it became a necessary part of that connection for older adults.
- Meals on Wheels Program reduces healthcare utilization and cost, falls, nursing home use, social isolation, and loneliness, and it improves seniors' ability to age in place, food security, diet quality, and nutritional status.
- Food dignity is about the right food at the right time, in the right way. It is about sustainably grown, nourishing food that is prepared in a culturally relevant way.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
Partner with trusted local advisors and community leaders to better understand the needs of those you serve. A program is most effective when it is designed with the input and trust of the people it aims to help.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement's Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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