Targeting of Home-Delivered Meals Programs to Older Adults in the United States

ABSTRACT

The Home-Delivered Meals Program (HDM) is an essential component of home-and community-based services available through the National Aging Service Network in the United States. It has the potential to help delay institutionalization and stem rising health care costs for older Americans; little is known, however, about the targeting practices used for HDM. A nationally representative telephone survey of state and local program providers showed that a variety of outreach measures were being employed, but challenges such as inadequate resources, waiting lists, rural delivery, and misconceptions about the program require resolution to ensure optimal service outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Home-Delivered Meals Program
• older Americans
• targeting survey

This research was supported in part by the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Federal Formula Funds, (Project No. NYC-399407), received from Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The authors(s) would like to acknowlege the assistance of Dustin Cooperman for coding and analysis of data.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jung Sun Lee

Jung Sun Lee (PhD, RD) is Assistant Professor, Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Edward A. Frongillo

Edward Frongillo (PhD) is Professor and Chair is an undergraduate student, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

Maria A. Keating

Maria Keating (BA) is a medical student, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY.

Lauren H. Deutsch

Lauren Deutch is an undergraduate student, Divison of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Jaclyn Daitchman

Jaclyn Daitchman is undergraduate student, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

Dominic E. Frongillo

Dominic Frongillo (BS) is Research Assistant, Divison of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.