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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-01-26, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2000. TCSS volunteers bring food, conversation to clients By Janice Becker Citizen staff One well-balanced meal a day can mean the difference between sustain­ ing health and independence and requiring regular nursing care. For many seniors, that meal arrives at the door, brought by vol­ unteers for Town and Country Support Services (TCSS). As a resident of Highland Apartment, Huronlea, in Brussels, Laura Barchard likes the conven­ ience of the frozen meals. They allow her to stay in her apartment if she prefers, rather than par­ taking in the meals offered by Huronlea. Dealing with occasional stomach problems, Barchard says she can choose what to eat and save the rest of the meal for another time. “They are very handy to have.” Having used the frozen Meals on Wheels for about a year, Barchard says the food is quite good. A very new user and one of the younger clients of the program, Mary Ann Howson of Blyth says the convenience of the frozen meals is helping her through a difficult med­ ical time. Dealing with a weight loss, Howson says her dietician at Clinton Public Hospital recommended she try the program to ensure she get a proper meal each day. “When you are alone, you don’t always eat right,” she says. Each dinner contains vegetables which Howson says she probably would not cook for herself. For her, this program guarantees she is getting what she needs for her meals, Having just started on the program two weeks ago, Howson says the meals are “excellent, very tasty. The carrots taste like carrots.” Aside from the nutritional benefit, Howson says the frozen meals save her money at the grocery store as she can get 14 meals for $50. “It works out well.” For Bill Turnbull of Brussels, hav­ ing the meals delivered to his door is helping him stay in his home and have good meals each day. “I have been using it since the home care girls told me about it two years ago. It is a great service because I am no cook. The propor­ tions are good, it is good food and I never get a stomach upset. It is not institutional food. It is like home­ cooking.” Turnbull says he appreciates the variety of meal choices because being an “old farm boy”, he likes the meat and potatoes with lots of gravy. His use of the program even extends to visitors in his home. He has on occasion used the frozen din­ ners for guests invited for a meal. Tumbull also appreciates the vol­ unteer who delivers his meals every two weeks and places them in the freezer for him. Two of the TCSS volunteers who take the time to contribute both to their community and the lives of the seniors they visit are Julian Paziewski and Clarence Walker. (Jason and Joan McCallum volunteer as well.) Having lived in the Wingham area for about 10 years, Paziewski decid­ ed six years ago it was time to “put something back”. When he stopped by the Victoria Street office of TCSS, he asked the receptionist if they needed any help. He was just in time for the move to TCSS’s current location and he has been with them ever since. For the first two or three years. Paziewski looked after inside and outside maintenance and then began to deliver the frozen meals. “I enjoy the fact that it helps (the seniors ) out, not just the food, but it helps them stay in their homes.” “It gives me a good feeling,” he says. “Sometimes I stay two or three minutes, sometimes 10. Sometimes they are lonely and they just need someone to talk to.” “They benefit from words of encouragement or simply being asked how they are doing,” he adds. “We don’t just drop and run. We spend a little time.” Paziewski takes pride in doing a little extra for the clients. “I help as much as possible with little practical things like putting the dinners right in the freezer (because it may be hard for them to get up out of the chair).” Pointing out his pleasure in getting to know the clients, having always made friends easily with those older than he, Paziewski says there is one sad thing about the job. MED-E-OX 282 Suncoast Drive, Goderich (519) 524-2020 1-800-265-5500 On the go Volunteer drivers Julian Paziewski and Clarence Walker head out to deliver frozen meals to seniors around the region. “February” is vitamin bottle bonus month. “When your clients are older, they may pass away.” Walker agrees this is a difficult aspect of delivering meals as you may have just seen the person a few days previously and then they are gone. For Walker, who has been involved in TCSS since 1996, partic­ ipation gives people a “feeling of self-worth.” After losing his job to plant clo­ sure, Walker says working with TCSS as well as the Salvation Army kept him going. “After sitting for a year, I asked about helping. People must be will­ ing to put back into the community. It can be very rewarding if you put yourself into it.” WMker says the clients, volunteers and TCSS staff become like one “giant family”. Susan Armstrong, community sup­ port co-ordinator with TCSS, says Town and Country just co-ordinates the program. “The volunteers are our fingers. They are the front line work­ ers.” All volunteers are screened before they begin delivering meals. “There is a police check and interview,” she says. “These people come highly recommended.” Though clients do get to know the drivers, each wears an identification tag with name and picture. Armstrong says the meals are ordered bi-weekly, with a minimum order of seven items. (There are combinations of entrees, soups and desserts.) An order of seven cost $25. Several clients will order 14 entrees each time, she says. However, the orders vary depending on appetite and mobility. The hot Meals on Wheels program is also a favourite though only available in some areas. The frozen meals are suitable for the oven or a microwave and cook­ ing instructions are included. Specialty meals and pureed foods are available. As attested to by the clients, the frozen dinners are just like home­ cooking and with the wide variety of choices, there is sure to be some­ thing for every palate. The standard entrees range from chicken a la King to creamed salmon (a favourite), lasagna, meatballs and noodles, a variety of fish, numerous We Deliver Your Freedom Blyth Apothecary Queen St., Blyth 523-4210 beef dishes, pork and ham. There are 25 from which to choose. The 13 soups include beef barley, minestrone, chicken gumbo and cau­ liflower cheddar. To finish off a meal, clients can select from 17 desserts including fruit cocktail, peach cobbler, cakes, tarts, cheesecake and pudding. There are seven vegetarian meals and two cold salad plates. For those requiring purged meals, there are 16 entrees, six soups and five desserts. Proportions, these clients say, are excellent. Armstrong say the meals are so popular even staff at the TCSS office buy them for their lunches. For those looking for something different for an elderly relative, TCSS provides gift certificates for the frozen meal program. Walker and Paziewski agree that driving for the Meals on Wheels pro­ gram is a worthwhile endeavour. “We all may need the service someday,” say Paziewski. Anyone interested in the frozen Meals on Wheels program can call TCSS offices in Wingham at 357- 3222, Clinton at 482-9264 or Exeter at 235-0258. with: ■ Home Oxygen ■ Wheelchairs ■ Electric Scooters ■ Hospital Beds ■ Bathroom Equipment ■ Electric Reclining Lift Chairs Your empty vitamin bottle equals $1.00 off your next vitamin purchase valued over $3.00