The Journey of Madelina Moselli and How Meals on Wheels Has Helped Her Stay Healthy and Independent

More Than Just a Home, Staying Connected to Family After Loss

Ninety-five-year-old Madelina “Maddie” Moselli is a New Yorker through and through” brash and unapologetic on the surface but a true softy on the inside unless someone crosses her. “I am a softy,” Maddie says. “But don’t mess with me. [Then] I’ll show you how soft I am.”

The fourth of five children, she’s scrappy but affectionate. Maddie grew up in a close-knit family without a mother, who died when Maddie was 12. Her father was “tough,” she says, but there was lots of love to go around. Maddie is the last remaining sibling and lives alone in the same home she purchased with her sister in 1970 in the historic Bensonhurst neighborhood. She and her family poured their own sweat and love into turning the house into a home. Even today, she maintains it herself, cleaning; knitting new curtains; sewing bedding, pillows, and table linens; and even mopping up the occasional basement flood.

Maddie’s home is her most cherished family heirloom. “When my sister and I walked into this house, I saw myself living here, and I’m still here,” Maddie says. Maddie holds the memories of her younger days close, though she’s the first to admit she has a beautiful life with her two-year-old puppy, Charlie, a curious, cuddly, white ball of fur who keeps her company.

Fostering Independence and Connections

Two years ago, following a hospital stay, Maddie became a Meals on Wheels recipient after a neighbor who received meals urged her to try it. She recognized that even someone as fiercely independent as she is needs a little help. Today, the meals keep her healthy, connected to her community, and able to age at home, close to her most cherished memories.

Memories and Meals on Wheels

“I had a good life,” Maddie says. As a person of strong faith, Maddie admits she struggles to understand why she’s still alive when her siblings have passed on.

“I don’t know why God left me here, maybe to aggravate you,” Maddie jokingly says. Her gruff sense of humor, even about the most morbid subjects, may be her most endearing quality. It’s also kept her going.

“I keep busy all day long, honey,” Maddie says. “I was never one to sit and wait for people to do for me. I do for myself.” In fact, she resisted asking for help until two years ago, when a neighbor encouraged her to call her local Meals on Wheels, provided by the Bay Ridge Center for Older Adults, after a hospital stay.

“She said, ‘You’re all alone and too old to be doing all these things alone,’” Maddie recalls. It demonstrates that for seniors like Maddie, asking for help after living independently for so long can be difficult. Maddie, who no longer cooks, relies on her local Meals on Wheels to stay independent and maintain her strength. The meals have even helped her develop better habits. Before Meals on Wheels, Maddie never had a consistent meal schedule. Now she eats on time, every day.

“They make people so healthy,” Maddie says. “I’m very happy with my life. I eat, sleep, and wake up good. I could knock down a brick wall.” It’s more than just the meals; the regular wellness calls, visits, and special touches like children coming by to play with her puppy, Charlie, during the holidays, are especially meaningful.

“How can anyone complain?” says Maddie about Meals on Wheels. “You’re like their family. They’re beautiful people.”