Meals on last wheels

By BEN KUTTNER and PETER DE GRAAF
WHANGAREI's Meals on Wheels - the service which allows more than 100 elderly folk to remain in their own homes - could collapse if 20 new volunteer drivers are not found urgently.
The volunteer-run service is co-ordinated in the Whangarei area by the Red Cross, which calls on 16 clubs and churches to help fill the driving roster.
The service has been running since 1966 but volunteer numbers are falling.
Meals on Wheels co-ordinator Ken Weatherly said the average age of the volunteers was now between 70 and 80. Often the volunteers were delivering meals to people younger then themselves. Until recently, Whangarei's Doug Morrison - now 102 - was one of the volunteer drivers.
The reason for the decline in volunteers was unclear, Mr Weatherly said, but it could be related to the rising cost of living.
"People want to get paid for it ... And with the price of petrol, it just gets harder and harder."
The Health Ministry, through Northland District Health Board, pays the Red Cross to run the service, with most of the money spent on petrol vouchers for the volunteers - but with petrol prices at record levels, the vouchers no longer cover costs.
Whangarei Red Cross manager Peter Bright said the downturn in volunteers was not unique to Meals on Wheels, which relied on the elderly.
It was not a case of people becoming more selfish _ instead he believed the volunteer shortage was a symptom of wider changes in society.
"In the past our volunteers were mainly women, but these days most women are working because families need a second income," he said.
Meals on Wheels driver Ruth McDonald, 73, said the people she delivered to were very appreciative. "One day we might be on the receiving end. You never know."
However, she would soon be out of town for two months, and there was no one to fill her shoes.
Whangarei Age Concern president Beryl Wilkinson said any possibility that Meals on Wheels could collapse was "a grave concern".
She said rising petrol prices and shortfalls in government funding could be to blame.
Meals on Wheels did not just stave off malnutrition but also helped to prevent social isolation. The service also saved taxpayers a lot of money as it helped keep elderly people independent and out of fulltime care.
The Government was bringing in a strategy called Ageing in Place, which aimed to boost the numbers of elderly living in their own homes - so better funding for Meals on Wheels would make sense, Mrs Wilkinson said.
Liz Goodall, head of the Auckland/Northland branch of the Dietetic Association, was "absolutely concerned" if the service folded in Whangarei.
While a good range of pre-frozen meals was available these days, they were no replacement for Meals on Wheels. "For some people, if they don't have a lot of appetite and they still have to heat the meal, they won't bother. With Meals on Wheels a hot meal is put in front of them."
Ms Goodall said the meals were planned with the help of dietitians and covered a third of an elderly person's daily requirements for protein, nutrients and calories.
Pre-frozen meals did not always include vegetables and were often designed as snacks, with as little as 300 calories.
"If people become malnourished, they may get sick and then they won't eat as much. Then they get into a vicious cycle and could eventually be forced out of their homes," Ms Goodall said.
• To volunteer, call Red Cross on (09) 438 3120.
* Service helps me stay at home JOHN Edwards is a former man of the land and at 97 he still likes his meat and three veg.
Thanks to Meals on Wheels he can still live in his Onerahi home. He reckons if it wasn't for the volunteers who deliver the food five days a week he would be in a rest home.
"I'm thrilled with Meals on Wheels, the food is excellent and the service is great. They turn up on public holidays and they haven't let me down at all," the former dairy and sheep farmer said. "When you think of it I can live on my own in my own home and potter about in the garden. I enjoy living in my own home."
Mr Edwards wife died four years ago and he admits he's no cook.
"I get my own Weetbix and that involves three Weetbix, milk and hot water. You can't exactly call that cooking."
Due to his lack of teeth, a special diet has been prepared that requires less chewing.
"I get my mince and veges and the other nice option is a fish sauce and potatoes."
For Mr Edwards and his family, the knowledge someone will be calling at his house nearly every day is also peace of mind.
"I would encourage people to volunteer for Meals on Wheels. It means so much for people like me," Mr Edwards said.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
• 116 people in the Whangarei area, aged 75-97, receive Meals on Wheels.
• The two-course hot meals are prepared in the Whangarei Hospital kitchen and delivered around lunchtime, Monday to Friday.
• They are subsidised by the Northland District Health Board and cost $4.50.
• In Whangarei the deliveries are co-ordinated by the Red Cross, which draws on its own volunteers and 16 other organisations for drivers.
• Meals on Wheels are also cooked at Kaitaia and Dargaville hospitals and delivered by volunteers. Bay of Islands meals are prepared in Whangarei, or, in some areas, contracted out to other suppliers, and delivered by volunteers or social workers.
• Volunteer drivers are expected to drive only one day a week.
• To get Meals on Wheels, ask your GP to refer you to a district nurse for assessment. Other options for people unable to cook for themselves include pre-frozen meals and Home Support.