For Californians 60 and Older: Senior Nutrition Program Offers Group Meals and Home Delivery
In California, adults aged 60 and older can receive nutritious meals through the Older Californians Nutrition Program. The program is funded federally through the Administration for Community Living and administered in the state by the California Department of Aging through the network of Area Agencies on Aging, in two forms: congregate meals eaten in a group setting, and home-delivered meals for those who cannot get out.
Eligibility for congregate meals covers adults 60 or older, a participating older adult's spouse regardless of age, and a person with a disability who lives at a meal site or lives with and accompanies a participating older adult. Each meal follows the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and provides at least one-third of the Dietary Reference Intakes, with nutrition education and risk screening and, in some areas, counseling. The group setting is also deliberate: the program aims to reduce hunger and malnutrition while giving older adults chances to socialize and build support networks.
Home-delivered meals serve adults 60 or older who are frail or homebound due to illness or disability, or otherwise isolated, along with their spouses and people with disabilities living with them. The program provides at least five meals a week, and the staff or volunteers who deliver them also make wellness checks, reduce social isolation and connect participants to other supportive services so they can remain independent at home. Families can contact their county Area Agency on Aging to ask about enrollment. (Source: California Department of Aging)
Source: California Department of Aging
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：一对老年夫妇一起用餐（Bill Branson 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC0） / Image: 一对老年夫妇一起用餐, by Bill Branson, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
