Since starting my work at Copper Country Senior Meals two years ago, I have come to better appreciate the aging process and the complexities involved in living independently at home.

Through conversations and friendships that have developed, and as I watch my parents move into their 80s, I have a direct view of the behind the scene struggles our elderly face daily.

For instance, as seniors lose their spouse, siblings, and friends, social isolation becomes the norm. As memory and cognition fade, cooking becomes difficult or lacking altogether. As eyesight and hearing diminish and reflexes slow, driving becomes challenging. As fall turns to winter and the ground goes from ice to snow, a single misstep can shorten one’s life as the body heals and recovers, sometimes unsuccessfully.

The World Health Organization states that by 2030, 1 in 6 people will be over age 60. This statistic represents similar numbers to our area where 1 in 7 people in Houghton County are over 65 years of age and 1 in 6 in Keweenaw County. Further complicating the ability to live at home alone is the fact that 6 in 10 people live with chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Each of these statistics reinforces the importance of the work we do at Copper Country Senior Meals. Through our home-delivered meal program, staff provide a daily check-in and are sometimes the only socialization a senior has that day or week. Staff also provide a nutritious hot meal and for some seniors, this meal is the only one they eat all day. These daily check-ins and meal deliveries are a critical service that helps area seniors live at home longer.

But Senior Meals struggles each year. We struggle financially to meet increasing food and fuel costs. We struggle to reach all of the seniors needing our services and often turn seniors away who desperately need our support.

Our lack of financial capacity to reach all areas in Houghton and Keweenaw Counties is truly heartbreaking, particularly in a rural area where seniors have no other option. Seniors who don’t receive our services struggle to live at home and many are forced to move into assisted living or nursing homes.

These moves are stressful, and expensive for our healthcare systems while also putting a strain on already stretched medical resources.

So how do we address our financial struggles and become better known in the community? Recently, I and others have been connecting with other Meals on Wheels organizations throughout the United States. On a recent spring break trip to Texas, I met with the San Antonio Meals on Wheels organization and saw how philanthropy and donor support enables that organization to serve 3,000 meals a day to seniors in 9 counties. I saw how subtle home improvements like fans, heaters, and microwaves help seniors live more comfortably at home.

Separate conversations with the Sheboygan, WI Meals on Wheels organization highlight the importance of working with local growers to obtain fresh produce donations.

Over the next few years, Senior Meals will be going through some significant changes as we make operational adjustments to produce more meals, reach more seniors, and increase donor support.

We will be increasing our fundraising efforts and expanding our community partnerships, specifically to better understand the links between food, social connections, and dementia. We will be exploring the health advantages and cost savings of providing medically tailored meals.

We are also partnering with the Portage Health Foundation to be part of a community wellness campus. Such a campus would benefit seniors with increased socialization, exercise opportunities, and even cooking classes.

The future is exciting as we look to better serve our seniors and expand our reach. I’m optimistic that Senior Meals will become a household name throughout the Copper Country and a leader in how we, as a community, care for our seniors.

Please consider being part of this journey and supporting us by donating and subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter. We would love to hear from you and work together to create a vision that supports all seniors in living at home with dignity.

Kathleen Harter, Executive Director, Copper Country Senior Meals