June 27, 2013

In early 2013, Citymeals-on-Wheels and the Alzheimer’s Association initiated a partnership aimed to educate meals-on-wheels delivery staff about Alzheimer’s disease. On Wednesday, June 26, meal delivery staff from Manhattan gathered at Encore Senior Center in midtown to learn the warning signs of this debilitating and widespread disease.

Rachel Sherrow, Citymeals’ Chief Program Officer, commented “I am thrilled about the new partnership between Citymeals and the Alzheimer’s Association. Our deliverers are often the only people who see our frail aged neighbors on a regular basis; they become familiar with our meal recipients’ personalities and behaviors. Knowing the characteristics of the disease enables our staff to differentiate between changes that are normal in the aging process and those that are not. If meal recipients are suspected to be suffering from the disease, our deliverers can report it to their case manager. This partnership is one of the many steps we are taking to ensure that isolated elderly New Yorkers’ health is being monitored.”

The meal deliverer training follows an earlier Citymeals office staff training.