From Caring for Others to Being Cared For
Mary, age 84, has been receiving home delivered meals since November last year.
“The meals are a godsend, taking that pressure off me.” she says.
Looking around at her home of twenty years, Mary is uncomfortable. Not only because she suffers from spinal stenosis, arthritis and peripheral neuropathy, but because her home is steadily deteriorating. She can no longer manage the upkeep without help.
She had a handyman for ten years, but he stopped doing that sort of work two years ago. And the person who helps with the yard work sometimes doesn’t show up for weeks at a time. Now, Mary’s situation is even more challenging.
While attending a community fundraiser in Niagara Falls last November, Mary fell and fractured her foot. That’s when she realized she’s no longer self-sufficient. After a life filled with accomplishment, that’s difficult to accept.
Mary confessed, “I’m not a cook. I never learned how. But that’s very different from not knowing how I was going to eat!”
During her career, Mary was an elementary school teacher, then a case worker in the foster care system and, for more than 20 years, she worked in the New York State Senate, processing legislation.
Mary never married and most of her friends have passed. Her only remaining relative is a brother who has dementia and lives out of state. So, Mary contacted the Office of the Aging, a partner of FeedMore WNY’s home delivered meals program. She said it was easy to sign up, and the volunteers who deliver her meals are always kind and friendly.
Most important, Mary says, “It feels like somebody cares about my situation here.”
