The Older Adult Meal Program offered by the St. Luke’s University Health Center Network in Bethlehem, PA, is successfully addressing two of the major issues confronting an aging population: access to good, affordable meals and to others in their age group, as an antidote to loneliness and isolation.
“The program offers seniors a healthy, full meal at a discounted price as an incentive to get out of the house and socialize with others in their age group,” said Matt Furlan, district manager for Metz Culinary Management, which operates the cafeterias on all St. Luke’s campuses.
The popularity of the program has exceeded expectations. A total of nine St. Luke’s locations are now hosting senior meals. “We’re serving up to 250 meals a day in some cafeterias—and that’s in the late afternoon, which used to be a very slow period,” Furlan said.
Meals are served from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., but guests usually start arriving much sooner. “Around 3:30, we’ll see two to three dozen guests sitting at the tables with their trays, silverware, and napkins laid out, drinking a cup of coffee and visiting until serving starts,” Furlan said.
Attendance varies by location and by what’s on the menu. According to Furlan, seniors tend to prefer good old American comfort food. Favorite meals include meatloaf with mashed potatoes, pasta with meatballs, and chicken Parmesan.
A recent addition to the menu is health education, in which a meal is accompanied by an informal presentation by a St. Luke’s doctor on an age-appropriate health matter, such as heart or joint health. This aspect has also proven to be very popular, with all nine participating St. Luke’s locations now offering health education from once a week to once a month.
“For those of us on the Metz team, seeing the relationships and sense of community that have developed as seniors come together to enjoy a good meal is very satisfying,” Furlan added.