Nutrition

Nutrition plays a vital role in your overall health. Aging Partners works with you to ensure you are receiving proper nutrition. Those living alone may find cooking a meal for one to be especially challenging. You can receive a balanced meal at one of our senior centers. Sharing meals with friends new and old is an added pleasure. We'll even help you find a ride to the center nearest you. Home delivered meals are also available.

With the aging of the U.S. population, increased attention is being given to delivering health and related services to older adults. Since nutrition is critical to health, functioning and quality of life, it is an important component of home and community-based services for older adults.

The Aging Partners nutrition program provides meals served in group settings and an option to take a cold meal home. Meals and other nutrition services are provided in a variety of settings including senior centers.

• Group site meals - meals are served weekdays throughout Aging Partners' eight-county service area including senior centers, churches, senior housing facilities and community buildings.
• Home-delivered meals - When older adults cannot leave their homes and cannot personally prepare nutritious meals, home-delivered meals are an option. Volunteers who deliver meals to homebound older adults have an important opportunity to check on their welfare and are encouraged to report any health or other problems they may observe during their visits.

Meals served under the Nutrition Program must provide at least one-third of the daily Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.

The Nutrition Program also provides a range of related services including nutrition screening, assessment, education and counseling.

Adults age 60 and over who participate in either the group site (congregate) meal or home-delivered meal programs have the opportunity to make voluntary suggested contributions toward the cost of the program.

Nutrition education is provided at each senior center with engaging presentations and handouts discussing nutrition topics that have been approved by our registered dietitians. A variety of programs have been developed in the following general areas: digestion, emotional eating, fat facts, fiber, fish, heart and kidney health, obesity, oral health, osteoporosis, phytochemicals, preventing foodborne illness and processed foods. For more information, call 402-441-7159.