Cuts to Seniors Meal Program Worry Advocates By Stephanie Johnson The New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) has proposed a new plan to significantly reduce funding for the Meals on Wheels program in the Bronx, which delivers nutritious meals to homebound seniors. Senior advocates are outraged. The trial program, which is only being implemented in the Bronx, will cut the number of Bronx Meals on Wheels providers from 17 to three. Seniors will get one visit and receive frozen dinners for the week instead of the five visits with hot meals the seniors are accustomed to. Under the budget cut, which is scheduled to take effect in July, one of the three Meals on Wheels providers would need to provide 145,000 meals to seniors in Community Boards 7, 8, and 12. "[The pilot plan] is one of the worst things I have ever heard," said Fran Namzoff, coordinator of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) Meals on Wheels program. "It will devastate our seniors." Patricia Burlace, director of the Sister Annunciata Bethell Senior Center in Bedford Park said that seniors who suffer from physically debilitating illnesses such as Parkinson's disease or Rheumatoid Arthritis may not be able to heat up a frozen meal in order to eat it. Also, the proposal for frozen meals does not account for elderly who suffer from mental illnesses such as dementia, she said, in which case seniors simply may not remember to eat. "Our main focus is the seniors, and their safety and security will be at risk with the proposal to cut funding," said Sister Margaret, who coordinates Meals on Wheels for the St. Nicholas of Tolentine senior center. Advocates also charge that the quality of the food will not be the same. "[Our seniors] prefer a hot meal because it tastes better and it doesn't require any preparatory work," Burlace said, adding that there will be more salt in the frozen meals. Supporters of the current program also point to the personal contact the program provides for the homebound. "Many times, the delivery person is the only person a senior sees or speaks to all day," Namzoff said. "The budget cut will be the end of interpersonal contact with the outside world for many of our elderly." Burlace agrees that, in many cases, it is just as important that the senior knows there is someone to check up on them as it is that they receive a nutritious meal. Meals on Wheels also serves as an alarm system for seniors who are not doing well, advocates say. Deliverers often notice signs of poor health and changes in living style. Each agency has a specific plan set up for emergencies when a senior needs medical attention. "There are numerous instances where our elderly have needed emergency medical assistance and the deliverers are the only people there to help," Burlace said. "Our seniors and their families depend on us for their emotional, physical, and mental well-being." Council Member Oliver Koppell, who recently met with DFTA staff, agrees. "The daily visit of the Meals on Wheels delivery person is a significant safety factor," he said. "They can respond if there's a problem, and that is reassur[ing] to a senior citizen." Another effect of the budget cut cited by critics of the plan is loss of jobs for deliverers and coordinators. "Not only will [our drivers] lose their jobs, they will also lose their health benefits," Burlace said. The Department for the Aging, which did not return two calls seeking comment, argues that this new pilot plan will save 75 cents on every meal served. "[The proposed plan] is just not worth it if it only saves a few cents," said Charles Freedman, president of the Social Action Club at MMCC. Program supporters wonder why the city is trying to change a program that they believe works so well. "The Bronx and its elderly are being used as a guinea pig by the DFTA," Namzoff said. Members of the City Council are hoping to reverse the agency's plans. "I think this whole proposal is problematic," Koppell said. "I'd like to stop it if we could." A hearing at the Bronx County building is being held by Council Member Maria Baez, chair of the Aging Committee, on Nov. 25 to discuss the Meals on Wheels proposal. For more information, call Baez' office at (718) 584-6955.
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