Fort Bend Senior Citizens Meals On Wheels & Much Much More Inc

SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER PROGRAM - FORT BEND AND WALLER COUNTY: Fort Bend Seniors' (FBS) senior activity centers promote better mental and physical health for older people through both nutritious meals and socialization. The senior center nutrition service operates as part of a comprehensive system of services designed to promote independent living for the elderly, serving as a focal point for these services.See Schedule OClient Participants must be 60 years of age or older. When a client enters the program, an Intake and Nutritional Risk Screening is completed to determine the participant's nutritional risk and needs, enabling staff to assist in improving their health. The participant is eligible to choose to participate in all the following services at no cost to the client:SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER MEALS Senior activity center meals include one hot meal daily that meets at least 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance of all nutrients required by adults, provided in a group setting. An integral part of the Meals on Wheels program, Fort Bend Seniors provides congregate meals five days per week at 7 locations in Fort Bend and Waller counties. The seven site locations providing services, Monday through Friday, are open from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Seniors interested in receiving services can visit the Fort Bend Seniors' site nearest them or contact Fort Bend Seniors' headquarters toll-free at 1-800-643-9654. RECREATION: FBS provides daily recreational opportunities for seniors attending the congregate meal program. A monthly calendar of events is offered to seniors outlining upcoming recreational and social programs. Activities include field trips, arts and crafts, bingo, exercise, dancing, and holiday events, providing seniors with opportunities to socialize with their peers on a regular basis. HEALTH SCREENINGS/NUTRITION EDUCATION - FBS provides vital health screenings for seniors at their congregate sites. The program includes annual screenings for hearing, vision, depression, and other senior-related health issues. Nutrition education programs are also provided through this program. These services are provided by volunteers who are professionals in health screenings and nutritional counseling. INFORMATION AND REFERRAL - FBS maintains a database relating to senior clients and their needs. Critical information is provided to seniors who require additional services, and referrals to collaborative agencies are coordinated by FBS staff.EMERGENCY SHELF STABLE MEALS - Emergency shelf stable meals are meals with a shelf life of one year that are delivered to seniors for use when sites are closed due to emergency weather conditions. FBS provides five emergency shelf meals to each client for use during inclement weather when the agency is unable to operate senior activity centers safely.ACTIVITY CENTER OUTCOMES: In 2024, Fort Bend Seniors provided 57,013 meals to 515 clients in Fort Bend and Waller Counties. Of the 515 senior center clients served in 2024, 65 percent lived alone or with their elderly spouse; 14 percent were veterans or surviving spouses of veterans; 82 percent represented minority populations, primarily African American and Hispanic.TRANSPORTATION - FORT BEND AND WALLER COUNTY: Fort Bend Seniors (FBS) contracts with Fort Bend County Public Transportation to provide transportation for our participants in the Congregate Program. The vehicles are air-conditioned, handicapped accessible vans. The service is door-to-door, transporting the client from their home to the nearest senior center and then returning them to their home after program activities. These rides were only available to participants from Fort Bend County centers. Waller County service is provided through Colorado Valley Transit Services at no cost to the client or to FBS.

TRANSPORTATION CLIENTS: Includes older adults 60 years of age and participating in one of the senior activity center meal programs in Fort Bend County. FBS maintains files containing information that identifies regular participants, documents eligibility, and provides information on emergency contacts.UNIT OF SERVICE: A unit of service is a one-way trip provided to an eligible person from one location to another. Each client is eligible for two units of service per day. The service is provided five days per week (Monday-Friday). See Schedule OTRANSPORTATION OUTCOMES: In 2024, FBS provided 19,041 rides to senior participants to and from congregate senior centers under the contract with Fort Bend County. This was a 1 percent increase in rides over the prior year. Participants who required transport for various other personal needs were also able to book on-demand transport separate from FBS.