Pil project gives W. Van seniors hot, nutritious meal This is the eighth and final article in a series appearing on the Lifestyle front Sundays on the work being done by the North Shore Seniors’ Ser- vices Providers Forum in initiating coordinated community action in the care of the elderly. FRANK M., 77, has lived alone since his wife died two years ago. Marie had been more outgoing and had enjoyed cooking and baking. Sunday family dinners were a tradi- tion until their son and his family moved East. Now Frank has little social interaction. He finds shopping confusing — everything seems to come in big packages and he doesn’t know much about cooking. Meals are usually just soup or beans. More and more often he feels too listless to bother. There are many seniors like Frank in the North Shore com- munity. As they become isolated and housebound, their nutritional habits worsen and they lose energy and interest and become more susceptible to illness. A pilot project in West Van- couver is. trying to reach these seniors. The Congregate Mea! Program provides a hot evening meal twice a week along with an opportunity to socialize. The six-month program follows a survey of seniors in the Es- quimalt area of West Vancouver and is limited to 40 participants in that area.’ The program is an example of those recommended in the Action Plan of the North Shore Seniors’ Service Providers Forum, which urges an increase in the variety of available services which meet the nutritional and social needs of isolated seniors. The Congregate Meal program, jointly sponsored by the North Shore Home Support Services Society and the North Shore Long Term Care Program, is a low-cost way of improving nutritional in- take.” Participants pay for the cost of their meals which are purchased from the Lions Gate Hospital kitchen and delivered by volunteer drivers to a meeting room at 1495 Esquimalt. A small grant fro; om the Ministry of Health provides*a homemaker By JO DUNAW. Contributing Writer to oversee the program and coor- dinate meal service. Basic start-up costs were donated by the United Church Women, and equipment ‘was purchased at a discount at local department stores. The orga- nizers hope more volunteers will join and enhance the social asfect. “Studies show that. seniors who are housebound or live alone don’t _eat as well as those who are active in their communities and seniors who eat in the company of others tend to eat. better,” says Carol Hartnett, Wutritionist with the Long Term Care Program. “Approximately seven per cent of admissions to Lions Gate Hos- pital of seniors over 70 are diagnosed with problems related to nutrition. Our meal program sup- plies 35 to 50 per cent of daily nutritional requirements and im- portant social interaction,’’ Hart- nett says. According to Hilary King, pro- gram coordinator for the Con- gregate Meal Program the project addresses the needs of seniors who fall between other meal programs on the North Shore. Approximately 2,600 lunches a month are served at two senior _ centres located in North and West Vancouver. Seniors who are not mobile enough to attend the cen- tres or who are recovering from surgery or illness can receive three junches a week from Meals-on- Wheels. meals are delivered by volunteer drivers each month. “*There is a huge variety of ages and levels of health and need in people over 60," says King. 4515 BARROW ST., N.VAN. _ 988-6161 More than 1,100 such. NEWS photo Stuart Devis NORTH SHORE Home Support volunteer Retty Archibald pours tea for West Vancouver senior Rina Bradley during one of the Congregate meals. The Congregate Meal Program will be evaluated in six months. - The nutritional levels of the par- ticipants will be compared to data collected at the beginning of the program and they will be ques- tioned about their feelings of phys- ical, mental and social well-being. Seniors in the area near the » 1400-block Esquimalt and volun- teers interested in the Congregate . : : ; * AEROBIC CLASSES Meal Program can call 984-9511 or : é as sa * ROBOUNCE 986-7111 for more information. fo) . [a * CUSHIONED we FACILITIES & SERVICES EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN e. * INDIVIDUAL LOCKERS © LIFECYCLE AND FAN Bi © PRIVATE DRESSING BOOTHS * FREE-WEIGHTS © WHIRLPOOL * SAUNA e + PalvATe sHOwERS @ The North Shore Seniors’ Ser- vices Providers Forum wants your comments and ideas. To obtain a summary of: the. Position Paper and Questionnaire call 986-7111, 988-3131 or 984-9511. NEW ADUL PATRONS ONLY * BASED ON 24 MONTHS ©606960090090065 "29. YEARS OF: EXPERIENCE bd 1445 Marine Drive °, North Vancouver 980-5635: © 98S 0SS890909S0089 80800 eee ee ER ae eee