There’s a reason we call late adulthood the “golden years”. It’s the season when a lifetime of work and perseverance yields priceless personal development. It’s when we harvest wisdom; insight that helps us better understand ourselves and our needs. It’s also when our ability to enjoy life with a passion can come to full fruition. Music, laughter, loved ones; we have the right to enjoy every part of our lives — including the pleasures of the table.
As we age our relationship with food changes. Our bodies have different nutritional needs than they did when we were younger and we may struggle with the ability to purchase and prepare meals owing to physical limitations. Cooking can lead to a messy kitchen and dirty dishes while also posing safety concerns, such as slipping on a wet floor or receiving cuts or burns during the cooking process. Grocery shopping and meal planning can become difficult to keep up with and even finding the motivation to prepare meals can be difficult when you’re the only one eating.
With the challenges we face in older age, how can we give our bodies the fuel needed to stay healthy and ensure that mealtime is a joy, not a burden? How can we maintain a balanced diet when we’re no longer able to shop and cook for ourselves? For many, meal delivery services offer solutions to these challenges. Luckily, seniors in San Francisco have plentiful options to choose from.
Our Food Must be Convenient
The right meal delivery service eliminates the need for food shopping, preparation, and cleanup. For older adults, convenience is a top priority because we need our food to match our medication schedules and daily routines to ensure regularity within our lives. Food must be ready and available when we are hungry, yet we must not sacrifice quality, even if we’re working with a low—or no—budget.
Our Food Must be Healthy
It’s important to give our bodies the nutrients they need as we age. We need calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone health and we can find it in dairy, fortified cereals, and leafy green vegetables. Vitamin B12, which keeps nerve and blood cells healthy, can be found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk. We need the electrolyte potassium so our hearts can beat and regulate blood pressure, and it can be found in dark leafy greens. And, of course, fiber, found in many vegetables and cereals, helps blood glucose levels from rising too fast and keeps the colon regular.
Finding a Meal Delivery Service for Seniors in the Bay Area
In the Bay Area, we’re lucky to have a plethora of meal delivery services that provide high-quality, healthy, and affordable food for seniors. Let’s take a look your options:
Meals on Wheels
1375 Fairfax Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
Phone: (415) 920-1111
Meals on Wheels is Institute on Aging’s meal delivery service and provides high-quality, sliding-scale services to promote the wellbeing of aging people. No one is turned away due to an inability to pay.
City and County of San Francisco Human Services Agency
1440 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: (415) 355-6700
This government agency provides home-delivered meals to those who cannot prepare their own meals due to physical or mental conditions and are homebound. A small donation for meals is requested.
Curry Senior Center
333 Turk St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 885-2274
This volunteer organization offers meal delivery for the homebound. It’s a good low-income option.
Self-Help for the Elderly
731 Sansome St., Ste 100
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: (415) 677-7600
This private company provides assistance and support to seniors in the San Francisco area, including meal delivery services.
Get the Fuel You Need to Live the Life You Want
By connecting with a meal delivery service that best suits your tastes, nutritional needs, and lifestyle, you can ensure that you have everything you need to nourish yourself and maintain good dietary health as you age. And once your meals become routine, you’ll free up another resource: time – more time to spend doing the things you love and on activities that connect you with the people in your community. The gift of time gives you the ability to enjoy your golden years to their fullest, whether pursuing your interests or simply being with loved ones.
At Institute on Aging, we work to give aging people the information and support they need to advocate for themselves and seek convenient, healthy food. Connect with us today to learn more.
