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Meals on Wheels has long delivered more than nutritious meals to older adults, providing in-home safety checks, social interaction and connections to other community-based services. The drivers delivering the meals are often the only people a client sees each day, and drivers are encouraged to connect back with the provider to report concerns. However, this reporting often happens informally, creating challenges in ensuring issues are resolved. Recognizing this, Meals on Wheels America embarked on a study in which 26 local Meals on Wheels providers followed a technology-supported change of condition monitoring protocol that enabled drivers to capture any changes they observed in a senior’s health and well-being at the time of meal delivery.
To consistently record observed changes, drivers used a mobile application to help local provider staff quickly track incoming alerts and connect the client to the appropriate additional services that could address changes in their condition. This research was conducted as part of the More Than a Meal® Process Evaluation and Expansion project to refine and scale this technology-enabled approach to monitoring client health and wellness.
Key Findings
85% of the participating providers that adopted the change of condition monitoring protocol found they were able to help their clients avoid a decline in their health, and most providers saw an increase in volunteer engagement, a key metric for ensuring continued success. Knowing that someone was checking in on their well-being also created peace of mind for clients and caregivers alike.
The biggest perceived barrier to adoption for the participating providers was a concern about staff and volunteer receptivity to the technology and protocol. Yet in reality, the technology often brought program staff and volunteers closer together.
The change of condition monitoring protocol holds promise for strengthening local data-informed partnerships. This creates a unique opportunity to address social determinants of health through partnerships between Meals on Wheels and a range of health care providers and payers.
In reproducing any excerpts of this report, please provide a credit that recognizes Meals on Wheels America, such as: Meals on Wheels America. (2021). More Than a Meal® How Meals on Wheels America Systematized Its Holistic Service Model to Address Clients’ Changes of Condition. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/research/more-than-a-meal-addressing-changes-of-condition-for-meals-on-wheels-clients/
External Publications
Leveraging Home-Delivered Meal Programs to Address Unmet Needs for At-Risk Older Adults: Preliminary Data Morris, A.M., Engelberg, J.K., Schmitthenner, B., Dosa, D., Gadbois, E., Shield, R.R., Akobundu, U., & Thomas, K.S., Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2019.
Produced with generous support from
