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Meals-On-Wheels Helping Our Seniors

  • Writer: Eva MacWilliams
    Eva MacWilliams
  • Sep 30, 2018
  • 3 min read

Being a senior or a patient receiving cancer treatment sometimes can make living alone difficult. It gets harder to do simple tasks like cooking. This can cause you not to eat well and not have the nutritional meals you need.



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Meals-on-Wheels Volunteer Coordinator Heather Busch brings Dorothy Orieux her Frozen Meal selections for the week.

The Meals-on-Wheels Program is available here in Callander for seniors who are having difficulty doing food preparation or who has been discharged from the hospital or having cancer treatments. The meals suit lots of dietary needs.


The Frozen Meals Program is part of the Meals-on-Wheels Program and is operated by the East Parry Sound Community Support Services under the direction of the Eastholme Board of Management since 1997. They receive their funding from the North East Local Health Integrations Network (NELHIN). Since adding the Frozen Meal Program to Meals-on-Wheels it has doubled and approximately 12,000 meals are presently provided in East Parry Sound.


“The program has been available to Callander residents since 2012,” said Leslie Price, Program Coordinator for East Parry Sound Community Support Services, “and most residents used to have to pick up their meals at Eastholme or wait until a volunteer was available in the area. I approached Councillor Heather Busch about placing freezers in Callander. We were pleased when council gave the go ahead to have freezers placed at the community centre and Heather agreed to be our volunteer coordinator.”


The frozen meals are full course frozen meals that include a soup, main course and dessert. The main courses include two sides such as rice, potato or vegetables. The menu offers a wide variety of choices.


“I currently have six clients in Callander. When we get a new client,” said Heather, “I go to their home and we do an assessment of what their needs are. We offer low sodium, low fat, puree and diabetic meals. We can even do gluten free if the senior requires it. I am here to coordinate your needs.”


The meals are prepared at Entrée Plus that is a family owned and operated food service business since 2002 and only caters to seniors. The company serves over 30 different agencies in the province to help seniors enhance their independent lifestyle.


“We switched to this company in 2012,” said Leslie, “we started out with another company but found the meal quality not quite as good so we switched. All the meals are taste tested by myself and my two office staff first before we put it on the menu. For eligible clients who are apprehensive about trying them we do offer a free trial meal.”


The meals are assembled manually by experienced food handlers to ensure quality and freshness and convenience and are all labelled to show the ingredients, cooking instructions, diet codes and best before date.


Two years ago Callander resident Dorothy Orieux was hospitalized and when she first came home it was difficult to do meal preparations herself. Her home care nurse suggested to her and her daughter Marilyn that they should contact Eastholme in Powassan and inquire about the Callander Frozen Meal Program.


“My late husband Rolly and I used to deliver Meals-on-Wheels to seniors in Callander through Nipissing Manor when we were younger,” said Dorothy, “how ironic is it that now at age 92, I am using the service myself.”


Dorothy said she is very lucky and spoiled. She gets leftovers dropped off and baked goods and the rest of my meals are supplemented by the Frozen Meal Program.


If you have a family member who could use this service you should contact the office for more information on eligibility at 705-724-6028. Heather will visit your home to assess your dietary needs and make arrangements for pick up or delivery of the meals. You can call Heather at either 705-752-1295 or 705-499-7958.


The Meals-on-Wheels is a great gift idea for seniors or those recently discharged from hospital and are unable to prepare their meals. The cost for a full meal that includes entree, soup and dessert is $6.00.


Give them a call and help make their independent living easier by helping them have nutritional meals without having to prepare them themselves.

 
 
 

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