In Roane County 1 in 6 seniors are hungry without food resources…
A senior lady who struggled to have enough food to eat and was primarily home-bound was ordering food online and getting cash express loans to pay for the food which was leading her to financial instability. She now receives home-delivered meals through Meals on Wheels and loves her daily visits. Meals on Wheels is the light at the end of the tunnel for many seniors.
Roane County senior housing centers strongly supports neighborhood congregate feeding sites. One of the senior housing residents came to site for several months. Recently, the participant’s health (stage 4 cancer) made it impossible for her to come to the site to get meals. She became depressed. With the help of our partner agency and United Way donor dollars, the senior completed an assessment for home delivered meals program. She is now receiving daily meals and is able to remain independent in her home while concentrating on her health and wellness. Roane County United Way supports programming that provides services to the elderly, helping them maintain their independence.
The Roane County office serves a retired Professor through the sliding scale fee program. He was very successful professionally, even traveling to other countries to teach and was considered wealthy by some standards during his working years. Since retiring, he was a victim of financial exploitation and now lives on only $800 per month from Social Security. Through SCHAS’ sliding scale fee program he is able to pay a caregiver to help with activities of daily living and keep his apartment clean. He is so grateful for the help. He has said that he has no one in his life to help him and his SCHAS caregiver is very important to him.
