FACTS AND RESOURCES

Our nation’s senior population is growing exponentially, outpacing the resources available to serve vulnerable older adults and putting their health and well-being in jeopardy. Meals on Wheels is a proven public-private partnership that effectively addresses the challenges of aging by promoting health and improving quality of life for at-risk seniors. By leveraging the existing Meals on Wheels network, we have the opportunity to not only keep seniors healthy and independent at home, where they want to be, but also save billions in tax dollars by keeping them out of more costly healthcare alternatives.

50 YEARS OF THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT NUTRITION PROGRAM

For decades, Older Americans Act (OAA) services, like congregate and home-delivered meals, have aimed to serve groups of older adults living in the community with the greatest social or economic need. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the OAA Nutrition Program – the federal legislation that provides funding for nutrition services for seniors and helps support programs like Meals on Wheels – has served as a lifeline for older adults and their families as the need and demand for services have skyrocketed. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the OAA Nutrition Program this year, we have created two new resources that tell the story of senior hunger, isolation and poverty around the country before and during the pandemic and highlight how the OAA Nutrition Program and Meals on Wheels have long been helping to address these rapidly growing issues. Download these resources below:

OAA NUTRITION PROGRAM FACT SHEET

This Fact Sheet combines a short narrative with infographics to provide a snapshot of the most important components of the OAA Nutrition Program and details about the older adults it serves.

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SOURCES & METHODS

OAA NUTRITION PROGRAM ISSUE BRIEF

This Issue Brief combines a longer narrative with graphs and other visual elements to take a more in-depth look at the OAA Nutrition Program, who it serves and what is needed to strengthen this legislation for the future.

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SOURCES & METHODS

LEARN MORE ABOUT SENIORS NATIONALLY AND IN YOUR STATE

VIEW YOUR 2021 U.S. FACT SHEET

This Fact Sheet presents an overview of the most recent data available about older adults living in the United States – including demographic and healthcare utilization information – and about senior nutrition programs receiving federal funding through the OAA.

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Sources & Methods - U.S.

VIEW YOUR 2021 STATE FACT SHEET

Explore key data about older adults and senior nutrition programs in each of the 50 states and D.C. in these customized State Fact Sheets.

Sources & Methods - State

COVID-19 FACT SHEET

Our COVID-19 Fact Sheet uses easily digestible infographics built on data gathered from local Meals on Wheels programs to help tell the story of the pandemic's impact and Meals on Wheels programs' heroic response.

Download the COVID-19 Fact Sheet below!

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

RESEARCH PROVES THE FULL IMPACT OF MEALS ON WHEELS

The national Meals on Wheels network continues to face limited funding, rising costs, unprecedented demand and need and increasing for-profit competition. That is why Meals on Wheels America has set out to validate what we’ve all known for decades anecdotally through firsthand experience: that Meals on Wheels does in fact deliver so much more than just a meal.

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