AARP Eye Center
Recently released Brown University research suggests that investment in healthy Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals could save states money. A report based on a statistical analysis of a decade of spending and nursing home resident data indicates that the more states spend on home-delivered meals under the Older Americans Act, the more likely they are to help people who don’t need nursing home care to stay in their homes. The Brown report is featued in the AARP Rhode Island video series, Hungry in the West End. 
"Despite efforts to rebalance long-term care, there are still many nursing home residents who have the functional capacity to live in a less restrictive environment,” wrote gerontology researchers Kali Thomas (pictured) and Vincent Mor in the journal Health Services Research. “States that have invested in their community-based service networks, particularly home-delivered meals, have proportionally fewer of these people than do those states that have not.”
Nationwide in 2009, 12.6 percent of nursing home residents were considered “low-care,” meaning they did not need much of the suite of services that a nursing home provides. That proportion had declined from 17.9 percent in 2000 because of a variety of efforts, including Older American Act programs — one of which is Meals on Wheels.
What Is Affordable?
AARP Rhode Island's multi-media exploration of senior hunger in Providence's West End community includes Web-based stories by Jody McPhillips and a multi-part video report, produced, directed and narrated by AARP Rhode Island's John Martin. pace
Hungry in the West End
AARPRI
Explore Jody McPhillips' Web series
Part 1: The Problem is Simple, But Not the Solution
Part 2: Feeding People Too Ashamed to Ask for Help
Part 3: Meals on Wheels Feeds the Homebound
Part 4: Food Pantries Feed All Comers
Part 5: Food & Friendship Served Up at St. Martin de Porres
Part 6: Nutritionists Help Seniors to Eat Right
Watch John Martin's Hungry in the West End documentary series
Episode 1: The Growing Problem
Episode 2: Doing More with Less
Episode 3: Food for the Soul
Episode 4: Emergency
Episode 5: What Is Affordable?
Related stories and hunger news
RI Monthly: Interview with John Martin on Hungry in the West End
New York Times: More to Meal Delivery Than Food
US Conference of Mayors: Slow Recovery Keeps Pressure on Emergency Food and Shelter Services
AARP Announces Million Dollar Partnership to Fight Older Adult Hunger
Hambre en America: ¿Que podemos hacer?
About AARP Rhode Island
Contact information and more from your state office. Learn what we are doing to champion social change and help you live your best life.