Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels and Much Much More

HOME DELIVERED MEALS PROGRAM - FORT BEND AND WALLER COUNTY: Fort Bend Seniors' (FBS) goal is to promote better health for eligible homebound older persons by providing nutritious home-delivered meals.Clients must be 60 or older and score at least 20 on the Department of Aging and Disabilities Assessment. Eligibility is based on an assessment of impairment in the ability to perform activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living, the frequency of a person leaving his or her home or needing assistance to do so, the ability to prepare nutritious meals and shop for food, nutritional risk, and financial resources available to the senior.CASE MANAGEMENT - FBS provides individual assessments by a trained and degreed case manager to determine seniors' social services, nutrition, and health care needs. Once an assessment is completed, FBS staff arrange for the appropriate services to be delivered and provide follow-up reviews to meet needs. Through case management, a participant is assessed for the following services: home-delivered meals, nutrition education, assessment of needs, and appropriate referral to other services.HOME-DELIVERED MEALS - The meals meet at least 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance of nutrients required by adults. FBS provides 7 meals per week; this includes up to four hot, nutritious meals Monday through Thursday and three frozen meals delivered Thursday for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday meals. FBS also provides the homebound client with a frozen holiday meal on or before the actual day of the holiday. Depending on the client's needs for medical appointments or geographic location, specific clients receive once-a-week delivery with one hot meal and the remaining frozen. These clients are contacted at least twice a week to ensure they are healthy, consuming their meals, and have a microwave to warm them properly. Seniors interested in receiving services can contact Fort Bend Seniors' headquarters toll-free at 1-800-643-9654.EMERGENCY SHELF-STABLE MEALS - Emergency shelf-stable meals are meals with a shelf life of one year that are delivered to seniors for use when home delivery is unavailable due to emergency weather conditions. FBS provides 5 emergency shelf meals for each client to use during inclement weather when the agency cannot make a delivery. VOLUNTEERS - Volunteers, part-time staff drivers, and site coordinators are responsible for the daily delivery of the meals. When volunteers deliver the meals, the operation cost is reduced, enabling us to purchase more meals to serve seniors. Meals are delivered directly to the participants or an authorized caregiver. The Meals on Wheels program is more than just a meal delivery. Through our trained staff and volunteers, a homebound senior receives a warm smile and safety check to help ensure they are well, and any other identified needs, such as nutrition education, may be addressed.HOME DELIVERED OUTCOMES: In 2023, FBS delivered 344,093 meals to 1,771 homebound eligible senior citizens in Fort Bend and Waller Counties. Each week, Fort Bend Seniors welcomed new clients to the program. Of the 1,771 home-delivered clients served throughout 2023, 59 percent lived alone or with their elderly spouse; 21 percent were veterans or surviving spouses of veterans; 65 percent represented minority populations, predominantly African American and Hispanic. Through our annual satisfaction survey of the Home Delivered Meal Clients, we have confirmed that the Meals on Wheels program 1) promotes better health for homebound elderly through improved nutrition and 2) alleviates the isolation and improves the mental health of the homebound elderly by the daily visits during meal delivery.

CONGREGATE/SENIOR CENTER PROGRAM FORT BEND AND WALLER COUNTY: FBS congregate centers promote better mental and physical health for older people through nutritious meals and socialization. The congregate nutrition service serves as a focal point for services and promotes independent living for the elderly.Client Participants must be 60 or older. An Intake and Nutritional Risk Screening is conducted for clients entering the program to determine the nutritional risks and needs of the participant, which enables the staff to assist with improving the participant's health. The participant is eligible to participate in all the following services:CONGREGATE MEALS - Congregate meals include one hot meal daily that meets at least 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance of all nutrients required by adults provided in a group setting. FBS provides congregate meals five days per week at 7 locations in Fort Bend and Waller counties as an integral part of the Meals on Wheels program. The 7 site locations providing services Monday through Friday are open from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Seniors interested in receiving services can visit the Fort Bend Seniors' site nearest them or contact Fort Bend Seniors' headquarters toll-free at 1-800-643-9654. RECREATION - FBS provides daily recreational opportunities for seniors who attend the congregate meal program. A monthly calendar of events outlining upcoming recreational and social programs is provided to seniors. Activities include field trips, arts and crafts, bingo, exercise, dancing, and holiday events, allowing seniors to socialize with their peers regularly. HEALTH SCREENINGS/NUTRITION EDUCATION - FBS provides vital health screenings for seniors at their congregate sites. The program includes screenings for hearing, vision, depression, and other senior-related health issues on an annual basis. Nutrition education programs are also provided through this program. These services are provided by volunteers who are professionals in health screenings and nutritional counseling. INFORMATION AND REFERRAL - FBS maintains a database of senior clients and their needs. Critical information is provided to seniors in need of additional services, and FBS staff coordinates referrals to collaborative agencies.EMERGENCY SHELF-STABLE MEALS - Emergency shelf-stable meals are meals with a shelf life of one year that are delivered to seniors for use when sites are closed due to emergency weather conditions. FBS provides 5 emergency shelf meals to each client to use during inclement weather when the agency cannot open congregate centers.CONGREGATE OUTCOMES: In 2023, FBS provided 61,117 meals to 559 Fort Bend and Waller Counties congregate clients. Of the 559 congregate clients served throughout 2023, 65 percent lived alone or with their elderly spouse; 13 percent were veterans or surviving spouses of veterans; and 86 percent represented minority populations, predominantly African American and Hispanic. Participation in congregate programs increased but has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.TRANSPORTATION - FORT BEND AND WALLER COUNTY: FBS contracts with Fort Bend County Public Transportation to provide transportation for our participants in the Congregate Program. The vehicles are air-conditioned, handicapped-accessible vans. The service is door-to-door, transporting the client from their home to the nearest senior center and then returning the client home following program activities. These rides were only for participants in Fort Bend County centers. Waller County service is provided through Colorado Valley Transit Services at no cost to the client or FBS.