Nutrition for the Elderly

As one ages it becomes more important to eat foods that are nutritious, with very often a reduced appetite, it is important to ensure that what you eat is healthy and rich in calcium, fibre, iron, protein and vitamins A, C and folacin.

The elderly have a challenge in meeting the same nutrient needs as in their younger days, and should have enough exercise and stimulation to obtain a feeling of well being, which would in turn give them the urge to `eat right’ and stay healthy.

Unfortunatey too many elderly people cannot afford to eat even one nutritious meal each day, and don`t even get to think about all the good leafy greens, calcium intake, plenty of fruit etc., having to make do with whatever is available to them, which is usually very little.

So many elderly people have worked hard all their lives and never ever thought that they would spend their retirement having to eek out a living on a small pension.

Meals on Wheels do a remarkable service in helping these elderly people when they deliver meals to their door with warmth and friendliness and words of encouragement. It means so much to the Seniors who receive these meals, to know that others care for them, and that they are not alone the world, and that they don`t have to go hungry.

Nutrition for the Elderly

Helping those in need

How does one reach out to those who do not have enough food to eat, or to those who are unable to prepare food for themselves? So many of us find it a rather daunting thought, and may often think that we`d like to help but don`t quite know how to go about it and therefore do nothing at all.

There are those who are equipped to carry out this wonderfully uplifting gesture, people who are pretty well organised at preparing food and delivering to these unfortunate people. The joy at receiving such a gift is quite remarkable, and with it the assurance that people care about them and that they are not alone.

Meals on Wheels is an organisation that really goes out and reaches the people. They rely on donations which is where each individual can make their contribution and then leave it to the organisation to do the rest.

Meals on Wheels have not only delivered meals, but have also selected a few houses that are in a state of disrepair, and made it their business to scrape, paint, repair and generally uplift the home.

Helping the Elderly

It is vital for Senior Citizens to have sufficient intake of nutrients to stay healthy and prolong the effects of old age in order to live an active life, but unfortunately too many of them are struggling to make ends meet and simply cannot afford to eat much at all.

Meals on Wheels are doing a fantastic job of looking after the elderly, and apart from delivering meals to those in need, they have also repaired a number of houses. They collected a team of willing people together to scrape, clean and paint, clean up the garden, and generally see to what ever needed attention.

Nourishment for the Hungry

Nourishment is vital to every individual, not just for survival, but one should be having all the nutrients and vitamins to stay healthy and to ward off illnesses, keeping the immune system functioning.

Unfortunately there are many who cannot even think about nutrition as such, having a battle to survive on whatever might be available to them. Eating well is just not a possibility, and sadly a situation like this takes its toll on physical and mental aspects of ones health, affecting people emotionally as well.

One need not feel helpless in this sort of situation, there is something each person can do to help reliever hunger, if only in one small way. Collectively it will make quite an impact. Tell your friends, tell everyone you know.

Relief from Hunger

Meals on Wheels are doing a fantastic job of providing meals for those who are unable to cook for themselves, and for those who simply don`t have any food to prepare and are often hungry.

It is quite incredible to see the joy and gratitude on the faces of those who receive these wonderfully nutritious meals.

Undernourished people tend to get depressed and sickly, have aches and pains and have no desire to live. This situation causes chronic illnesses and as one gets older, certainly would project the onset on dementia or one of the related memory illnesses.

Supplying these people with excellent nourishment is one way of giving them purpose in life, a feeling of well being and warmth, and a knowing that people care.

Making people happy is the best gift of all, and somehow giving creates a wheel that goes around causing so many to benefit, including the giver. One of the best ways of making oneself happy is to make someone else happy!

The joy of those who receive these meals is truly a lasting joy, it tells them that they are not alone in this world, it tells them that people care, it tells them that others are thinking of them, it tells them that their well being is important to others. That is truly a valuable gift which brings great rewards.

The heart and soul of The Hunger Site's mission

The heart and soul of The Hunger Site's mission, to help eradicate world hunger, is rooted in the struggle against poverty and hopelessness. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is a part of that battleground. Eighty percent of the population lives under the poverty line, vulnerable to the country's all-too-frequent natural and socio-economic disasters.

In the past decade, the news from Haiti has been heart-wrenching. Entire communities and the crops they depend upon were repeatedly devastated by tremendous storms. Deforestation, exacerbated by charcoal production to cook or buy food, led to topsoil loss in a region where two-thirds of the population relies on sustenance farming. And word reached the world of people so desperate for food that they ate cookies of dirt mixed with a little fat and baked in the sun.

But Haiti is a place of hope as well as tragedy. In 1804, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence. During the early days of the earthquake, that surviving spirit was visible to the world. Aid organizations could not immediately reach all of the Haitian population in desperate need of rescue, but that did not stop Haitians from helping each other. They fought to dig survivors out from the rubble with their bare hands. They treated wounds with what little they had. And amid unimaginable tragedy, survivors with nothing more than the clothes upon their back faced the dark nights together, lifting their voices in song.

At The Hunger Site, we are proud to support the Haitian people in their time of need.

Partners in Health has been working in Haiti for more than twenty years not only to provide direct aid for those in need, but also to train Haitians to become doctors, nurses, and medical staff. Now more than ever, every one of those Haitians is better equipped to save lives, and PIH is on the ground to help them accomplish that goal. Donations to The Hunger Site to aid earthquake survivors go directly and swiftly to Partners in Health for emergency supplies and aid