Published in RINewsToday on November 25, 2025
Today, nearly 13 million older Americans worry about having enough to eat, and a 2020 University of Michigan poll conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic found that 56% feel lonely—a level so severe it has been declared a public health epidemic.
Although the historic federal shutdown has ended, reimbursement for local Meals on Wheels providers remains uncertain, warned Meals on Wheels America (MOWA) President and CEO Ellie Hollander in response to the passage of the continuing appropriation ending the federal government shutdown.
According to Hollander, these funding delays caused serious financial strain for 9 in 10 local programs, which depend heavily on federal dollars through the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program. In fiscal year 2024, for the first time in a decade, this federal program was cut. About 41% of providers rely on it for at least half of their operating budgets, she stated.
Hollander noted that prior to the 43-day shutdown, one in three Meals on Wheels programs had a waitlist, with an average wait time approaching four months—and some stretching to two years. The lingering effects of the shutdown, combined with flat federal funding and recent cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, will only deepen food insecurity among older adults and cause waitlists to grow even longer, she predicted.
Providing Nutritious Meals to Rhode Island’s Most Vulnerable
Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island (MOWRI) is one of 5,000 community-based providers (operating both home-delivered and congregate meal programs) nationwide, serving an estimated two million older adults, in total. Collectively, there are more than two million volunteers and 100,000 paid staff supporting these efforts.
MOWRI is not an affiliate of MOWA and is an independent nonprofit organization. MOWRI reports a strong fund development portfolio, in addition to federal and state grant through the Older Americans Act and administered by the R.I. Office of Healthy Aging. The organization expects to raise more than $1 million through grants, individual donations, corporate partnerships, events and campaigns this year. Each year, more than 1,500 individuals make a gift to MOWRI.
A Solid History in RI
Founded in 1969 by gerontologist Joseph Brown, MOWRI began by serving hot lunches that met one-third of an older adults’ daily dietary requirements to just 17 Providence seniors along a single delivery route. By 2024, the organization had grown significantly. That year, 472 volunteers drove a combined 398,100 miles, visiting 3,738 clients Monday through Friday across 260 service days. Volunteers delivered 421,553 meals on 90 delivery routes statewide and conducted 328,000 well-being checks and social visits.
In 2025, MOWRI is serving 77% more meals each weekday than five years ago and has expanded its reach to more at-risk populations in addition to homebound older adults, including pregnant and postpartum women and those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses.
Responding to changes in federal funding for nutrition programs, combined with next year’s state economic outlook characterized by moderate revenue growth, MOWRI released its 15-page 2030 strategic plan, Building Resilience, Deepening Impact, last week. “Our bold new strategy will allow us to extend our reach and improve the lives of even more Rhode Islanders through expanding our role as sector leaders, ensuring sustainable organizational growth, increasing our impact, and driving quality in all that we do,” said MOWRI Board President Christina Pitney in a statement announcing the plan on Nov. 19.
5-Year Plan Expands Nutrition & Wellness for Homebound
According to MOWRI, its five-year plan “utilizes a ‘Food for Service model’ to concurrently tackle food insecurity and social isolation with the goal of reducing loss of independence among homebound and frail older adult Rhode Islanders.” MOWRI’s Home-Delivered Meal Program offers daily, fully prepared nutritious meals to homebound Rhode Islanders delivered right to their door. With the delivery of the meal, the volunteer driver performs a safety-assuring wellness check along with a social visit.
MOWRI’s Emergency Meal Program is a component of the home-delivered meal service. This program is specifically designed to provide a back-up supply of non-perishable food for clients to ensure that they have access to food if their regular daily meal delivery is interrupted by severe weather or other emergencies.
Eligibility for the traditional Home-Delivered Meal Program requires clients to be age 60 or older or qualify through a state waiver program. Participants must be homebound—unable to safely leave home without assistance—and cannot be enrolled in adult day care or a community dining program on days they receive home-delivered meals. For the Capital City Café Program, clients must be 60 years of age or older, or under 60 and living with a disability or receiving general public assistance.
MOWRI enters the 2030 planning period from a position of exceptional strength, the strategic plan notes, stating that its paid staff and volunteers have delivered more than 21 million meals to date and expanded services statewide, including Block Island. With decades of experience supporting older adults through nutrition, safety checks, social connection, and health-focused programming, the organization is now preparing for its next phase of growth. However, the plan also acknowledges rising service demands, stagnant public funding, and increasing competition, while emphasizing that MOWRI’s strong financial reserves, trusted reputation, and culture of innovation provide the foundation for deeper impact.
Stakeholder input, interviews, data analysis, and national best practices all point to the same conclusion: MOWRI must expand its role in the health, aging, and equity ecosystems while building the infrastructure necessary to sustain long-term progress. The strategic plan suggests that MOWRI’s “More Than a Meal” model evolve into a public health intervention. With changing demographics among the state’s aging and vulnerable populations, the organization seeks to further expand home- and community-based services to persons with disabilities, people under age 60, rural residents, school-aged children, perinatal clients, and those living with chronic illness.
MOWRI also seeks to enhance private-pay options designed for caregivers, individuals living alone, and those recovering from surgery or illness.
Recognizing the Importance of Partnerships
The strategic plan calls for using its existing and new partnerships with hospitals, health care systems, Medicaid providers, and insurers to allow the organization to support hospital discharge planning, chronic disease management, and post-hospitalization recovery. Meanwhile, this plan also foresees standardized health assessments and referral practices conducted during meal delivery, ensuring that staff who have direct in person interaction with clients and volunteers play a direct role in supporting participant health and safety.
The strategic plan calls for providing medically tailored meals that meet both the clinical and cultural needs of clients, elevating MOWRI’s position as a statewide demonstration site for Food-Is-Medicine initiatives.
The organization also intends to investigate nutritional counseling and other health-supportive services that improves medical outcomes and promotes aging in place. Additional priorities of this new strategic plan include the establishing well defined criteria to evaluate new programs based on its organizational mission, fiscal stability, and organizational capacity; strengthening the organization through succession planning, leadership development, expansion of volunteer base, and targeted recruitment; and adopting organization-wide data systems to improve evaluation and decision-making.
Increased use of the Mobile Meals app will streamline delivery operations along with strengthening communication, enhancing participant monitoring, and supporting healthcare collaboration. Existing and new partnerships with academic institutions expands the organization’s research efforts. A new organizational dashboard can assist MOWRI’s leadership track key indicators and allocate resources effectively.
Finally, the strategic report emphasizes the importance and value of advocacy and its visibility. As competition from for-profit and tech-enabled providers grows, the organization must elevate its position on policies and clearly communicate the unique value of personal connection, wellness checks, safety monitoring, and culturally responsive services.
Overall, MOWRI says its strategic plan positions the organization for sustained growth and expanded impact by 2030.
“Our future will not be without challenges, and we are focused on ensuring that every Rhode Islander has access to the nutrition, connection, and dignity they deserve,” says Executive Director Meghan Grady.
For more information on volunteering or making a gift to support MOWRI’s statewide impact, please visit www.rimeals.org.
Tag Archives for Older Americans Act
Senate Aging Committee Seeks Renewal of Older Americans Act
Published in RINewsToday on November 10, 2025
With over 359 days until the mid-term elections, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Aging held a hearing last week to emphasize the need for reauthorizing the Older Americans Act (OAA), a crucial piece of federal legislation that expired the previous year. The hearing highlighted the key role OAA plays in assisting Americans living with age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as their caregivers.
Last reauthorized in 2020, the OAA expired during the 118th Congress. S. 4776, introduced by Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the committee’s ranking member, passed the Senate by unanimous consent last year. However, the House failed to pass a companion measure due to unrelated political disagreements.
Senate Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Reauthorize the OAA
On June 18, 2025, Chairman Cassidy, alongside nine co-sponsors, reintroduced the OAA Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 2120). This 91-page bill would authorize new funding a strengthen services for older Americans. The bipartisan bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee the day it was introduced, where hearings, markups, and a committee vote are expected. If approved, it will move to the full Senate. As of press time, a companion bill had not yet been introduced in the House.
Chairman Cassidy’s co-sponsors include Senators Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rick Scott (R-FL), chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
Although S. 2120 closely mirrors last year’s S. 4776, there are notable differences. Specifically, it would reauthorize OAA programs through FY 2030 and increase funding by 18% over the next four years. It also includes measures to promote innovation, strengthen the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and expand the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Additionally, the bill aims to improve services for Tribal elders and older adults with disabilities, ensuring these populations remain active and supported in their communities.
S. 2120 would also address elder abuse by establishing a clearinghouse for best practices, focusing on legal and protective services to strengthen state ombudsman programs, adult protective services, and related legal supports.
Senate Aging Committee Hearing Highlights Call for S. 2120 Passage
On November 5, 2025, Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) of the Senate Aging Committee held a full committee hearing titled “Renewing Our Commitment: How the Older Americans Act Uplifts Families Living with Aging-Related Diseases.” The hearing, which took place in SD-216 at 3:30 p.m., focused on how OAA-funded programs provide critical support to millions of Americans with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The goal of the hearing was to push for the passage of S. 2120 with bipartisan support.
In his opening statement, Chairman Scott emphasized the importance of reauthorizing the OAA to ensure that programs and services keep pace with a rapidly growing aging population—one increasingly affected by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, placing greater demands on caregivers.
“More than 7 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and nearly 1 million are affected by Parkinson’s,” said Scott. “Behind these numbers are caregivers—a husband, a wife, a son, or a daughter—providing unpaid, around-the-clock care.”
“Every service made possible by this law [OAA] represents compassion made real,” he added.
Ranking Member Gillibrand opening statement pointed out that most people are unaware of the OAA’s existence, despite the fact that one in six older adults benefit from its programs. “In 2024, the OAA generated 3.39 times its investment in community value and taxpayer savings. Through efficient service delivery, older adults avoided 1.9 million days of long-term hospital stays and institutional care,” she said.
“It’s not the time to take our foot off the gas,” Gillibrand continued. “Even though there have been minimal interruptions in service delivery since the Act’s authorization expired last year, it is vital that we pass a reauthorization this fall to modernize the statute and reflect the evolving needs of older adults.”
The three witnesses at this Senate Aging Committee hearing shared how OAA-funded services—such as adult day centers, home-delivered meals, caregiver support, and specialized exercise programs—helped them to maintain their health, and independence. They pointed out that these community-based services not only provided caregivers with the critical support, more important they were cost-effective alternatives to more costly nursing home care.
Key Testimonies Highlight the Impact of OAA Programs
Erick Montealegre, a volunteer community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association and a caregiver for his father, who was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, told the panel that adult day care centers and home-delivered meals—funded by the OAA—had made a “world of difference” in his father’s quality of life, providing essential respite care for his family.
Montealegre highlighted the importance of these programs being culturally and linguistically appropriate. His 84-year-old father, who had lost the ability to speak English and reverted to speaking his native Spanish, benefitted greatly from services that met his language needs.
“This hearing is especially meaningful to me because it’s taking place in November, National Family Caregivers Month,” Montealegre noted. In conclusion, he said, “Reauthorizing and strengthening the Older Americans Act is an investment in our families, our dignity, and our community.”
Steve Sappington, who has lived with Parkinson’s disease for the past ten years, explained that an OAA-supported exercise program, Rock Steady Boxing, has significantly slowed the progression of his symptoms. Recounting his experiences in living with Parkinson’s, he noted that he went eight years without having to increase his Parkinson’s medication after starting the boxing program. His neurologist called it a “miracle” and said he had never seen anything like it before.
“Programs like ours are possible because of the foundation laid by the OAA,” Sappington said. “Local OAA-funded services—such as transportation, congregate and home-delivered meals, caregiver support, adult day services, and other vital programs—make it possible for older adults like me to stay active and connected.” He urged Congress to reauthorize the OAA to ensure continued support for these essential services.
However, Sappington also pointed out that many older adults remain unaware of the services available to them, emphasizing the need for culturally competent outreach, particularly to low-income, rural, and minority communities.
Duana Patton, Chief Executive Director of the Ohio District Five Area Agency on Aging and Board President of USAging, emphasized that Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) serve as the “front door” to a network of local, community-based services. She argued that the OAA represents a cost-effective investment for the federal government, as its programs help older adults remain in their communities, which is far less expensive than placement in costly nursing homes.
“The longer older adults can successfully age at home, the better it is financially for families and the federal government,” Patton explained. Having worked in the AAA field for over 31 years, she cited the example of “Ms. Gray,” a client who, after receiving in-home personal care and meals funded by the OAA, no longer required hospital readmissions due to the significant improvements in her health.
The witnesses stressed that the OAA needs to be promptly reauthorized, strengthened, and modernized to provide local agencies with the flexibility required to meet the evolving needs of their communities.
A Final Note…
“We hope the Senate’s OAA reauthorization bill (S. 2120) can move forward soon, either under Unanimous Consent or attached to another legislative vehicle,” says Amy Gotwals, Chief of Public Policy and External Affairs at USAging. “While the House has yet to announce a specific plan, USAging, along with other aging organizations, is advocating for a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will pass before the end of the year.”
Gotwals notes that, although the reauthorization is important, it is not immediately necessary to ensure continued funding for the OAA. “President Trump’s budget, along with both the Senate and House FY 2026 bills, protect all but one OAA program—the Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program. If there’s a year-long Continuing Resolution, all programs will be protected,” she adds.
“The shutdown remains our biggest challenge right now,” Gotwals concludes.
First Senate Aging Committee hearing of new congress looks at wellness
Published in RINewsToday on February 3, 2025
Over a week after the 119th Congress began on Friday, Jan. 3, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) took the reins of the U.S. Special Committee on Aging, becoming its 20thchairman. He follows in the footsteps of former Chairman Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), a 3-term Democratic Senator, who lost his reelection bid for a fourth term to Republican Dave McCormick. a West Point graduate, combat veteran and bronze star recipient, a national security, expert, and former hedge fund manager.
On Wednesday afternoon, on Jan. 15 in SD 106, Scott chaired the first Senate Aging Committee hearing of the new Congress, entitled “Improving Wellness Among Seniors: Setting a Standard for the American Dream.” The hearing, lasting two hours and seven minutes, put the spotlight on America’s senior health, personal and community safety and the benefits of socializing and working later in life.
While established in 1961 as a temporary committee, the Senate Aging Committee became a permanent Senate committee in 1977. Over the years, aging advocates say that committee has operated in a bipartisan manor. And the Florida Senator says he will carry on this tradition.
In his opening statement, the Republican Chairman stressed that aging is not a partisan issue. “Whether or not we’d like to admit it or note, we are all aging, and it impacts every single one of us regardless of political party” he said.
“I believe we have a big opportunity in this Committee to work in a bipartisan manner to support and improve the lives of America’s current senior citizens and create change that will improve both the lifespan and health span of future generations, said Chairman Scott, pledging that he and his staff will “work together with all the members here to find common ground and ways we can advance or shared goals.”
As chairman, Scott’s goals are to make sure every senior can say that they are physically healthy, financially secure, live in a safe community and has family and community support. “If you have all four of these things, your senior years can be the best time of your life,” he notes.
Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the ranking member who has served on the Senate Aging Committee since 2009, congratulated Scott for assuming his chairmanship position, “I look forward to working closely with you during this Congress,” she said, in her opening statement.
According to the Democratic Senator, the Senate Aging Committee has a long history of bipartisanship. “I hope we continue that tradition to advance an agenda that makes sure our loved ones can age with the support they need and with dignity and respect,” she said.
Gillibrand reported that she hopes to continue working on lower prescription drug costs, continuing to guard against financial scams, and protecting programs that older adults and people with disabilities rely on, such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.
The ranking member noted that this hearing would address how to promote wellness among older adults. “We’ll address issues like accessible housing, financial security, and engagement with the community,” she said, the importance of giving people the tools to live and age well. “Those tools are different for everyone, but include resources like nutrition assistance programs, Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living, supportive housing programs, Medicare and Medicaid, and Social Security,” she added.
Ways to Improve the Health and Wellness of the Nation’s Seniors
During his testimony, Sheriff Bill Prummell rattled off a list of proactive and effective ways that the Sheriff’s Office serves and protects seniors and disabled adults residing in Charlottee County, Florida. Prummell shared a number of innovative programs with the Senators that could easily be replicated throughout the nation.
Here are just a few…
According to Prummell, who serves as President of the Florida Sheriff’s Association, his office utilizes trained volunteers to reach out weekly to isolated age 60 and over seniors and disabled adults. The volunteers get to know these individuals thru their weekly phone calls, by giving them Christmas gifts and mailing birthday cards to these individuals on that special date, too.
Meanwhile, Prummell noted that efforts like Project Lifesaver (using GPS tracking bracelets to locate wanderers) and DNA Scent Kits (enabling participants to keep a DNA scent article at home to be used by K9 Deputies) to assist his deputies in finding missing wanderers.
And, Operation Pill Drop, even allows individuals to dispose of expired or unwanted medication in drug receptacle boxes at participating district offices, he says, noting that this keeps family members and others from accessing the senior’s medication cabinet to take old and unused medications.
While she has seen dramatic improvements in preventative and health promotion programs, “we still have a long way to go,” says Witness Maria Alvarez, Executive Director of New York Statewide Senior Action Council. She used the Senate Aging Committee hearing as a bully pulpit to call for a 2025 White House Conference on Aging be held to “help the country chart a course for addressing the needs of the growing older population as 20 percent of this country is now over the age of 65.”
“But we cannot ignore the need to recognize that having health care and preventive services available is not sufficient if they are not affordable or if discrimination, actual or perceived persists,” Alvarez says.
According to Alvarez, along with Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, the Older Americans Act “has had seismic effect on the elderly population. “These programs provide a framework that seniors can rely on to continue to live and thrive and live with dignity, she says.
Witness Dawn Carr, Ph.D., director of the Claude Pepper Center at Florida State University, told the attending Senators that it’s time to reframe aging policy to promote healthy aging, noting that this “will require an expansion of our current aging-related policy goals.” These goals must emphasize supporting healthy aging throughout a person’s lifespan, she said.
“It means expanding healthy aging research, improving health care literacy and access, and incentivizing health behaviors and health interventions based on optimal health function goals,” says Dr. Carr, adding that this means “thinking about viewing older people as a critical resource that improves our society, rather than as a barrier to societal progress.”
Finally, during her testimony, Professor Emerita Dr. Susan Hughes, Ph.D., in the Division of Community Health Sciences and Founding Director of the Center for Research and Health and Aging at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) described the imitations of current funding for health promotion programs for older adults, calling for “transformational re-thinking” of a historical focus on post-acute care. According to Dr. Hughes, this has resulted in funding gaps in supporting long-term care and preventative programs for older adults, especially for those with chronic conditions like arthritis.
Increased funding for wellness programs could reduce health care costs and improve out outcomes, she says, citing the success of UIC’s Fit & Strong! Program, a low cost, evidence-based intervention that helps senior’s manage osteoarthritis through physical activity.
But, despite the success of programs like Fit & Strong! lack of funding and reimbursement mechanisms, limit their impact, charges Dr. Hughes. calling for the Older American’s Act (OAA), particularly Title III D (or a new title), to support the funding of physical activity programming.
“Ultimately, however, we will see much bigger returns if we develop demonstrations and/or regulations or reimbursement mechanisms that support the dissemination of and access to evidence-based health promotion programs as extensively as possible through Medicare, says Dr. Hughes.
Walking the Talk
“Helping older people is a bipartisan issue — and the Aging Committee has a history of addressing the challenges that seniors face. The work that the Senate Aging Committee does is especially critical today, with 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, and given the uncertainty about the future of critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,” says Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Taking the reins of the Senate Aging Committee, Chairman Scott pledges to work with Ranking Member Gillibrand in a “bipartisan manner” to improve the lives of America’s seniors. Will he walk his talk or are these just empty words?
Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Aging Committee MUST work together to push the Republican-controlled Senate to allocate increased funding for the AOA and Medicare, or create additional reimbursement mechanisms to promote health and wellness programs. Research tells us that these programs increase physical activity, brings people together to socialize, and enhances brain health, and even cuts medical costs. Even with a federal budget deficit, in this case Congress must not be penny wise and pound foolish.
To watch this Senate Aging Committee hearing go to
Herb Weiss 