"Tis a gift to be simple"

Meals-on-Wheels Outreach Coordinator Bill Adams provided the following story. A perfect example of what we do!

One of our Meals-on-Wheels caseworkers recently enrolled a person whose main health problem, severe short-term memory loss, made cooking unsafe. The client said "I only have two friends, and every day I have to call one of them and be told what day of the week it is. I hate to invade their privacy for something so trivial to other people, but it is important to me to know. It makes me feel ashamed to be so limited in memory. I keep their numbers next to my night stand so I won't forget their names or how to reach them. It is embarrassing."

Our staffer suggested the client call the local time and temperature number instead, and wrote it down next to the names and numbers of her friends. The client dialed it and was absoultely delighted to find out the day, date, time, temperature and weather forecast just for listening for two minutes to a recorded voice whoes privacy was not an issue. The client thanked the worker and commented, "I would have never thought of this solution on my own. It makes me feel so much better."

Our clients have many complicated life issues which defy comprehensive and quick solutions, but when we really listen to what they say, once in awhile a simple suggestion can do enormous good.