Our Programs for Seniors
MIFA’s senior programs are designed to promote independence, health, companionship, and dignity.
MIFA Meals on Wheels
With the help of up to 100 volunteers, MIFA Meals on Wheels provides hot, nutritious lunches for seniors in their homes and at congregate meal sites each weekday. MIFA’s largest program has been awarded the highest possible accreditation conferred by Meals on Wheels America.
Eligibility
Clients, who are homebound or at congregate sites, must be nutritionally at-risk seniors (age 60 and over) due to illness or disability and reside in Shelby County. To be screened for eligibility for Meals on Wheels, call the Aging Commission of the Mid-South at (901) 222-4111. To apply for congregate meals, you must complete an application in person at the site nearest you. Congregate sites are listed here.
Impact
in FY19, MIFA Meals on Wheels served 471,516 meals to 3,256 seniors; of those clients, 1,824 received home-delivered meals and 1,446 were served at congregate sites.
Surveyed clients reported the following:
- 91.61% eat healthier foods as a result of the program
- 86.21% believe the program helps them continue living in their own homes
- 90.64% believe the program helps them feel better
Volunteer
Brighten the day of a homebound senior by delivering hot Meals on Wheels on weekday mornings.
Requirements: Each volunteer must possess a valid driver’s license and proof of auto insurance. Volunteers should arrive at MIFA between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Monday through Friday to begin delivering meals. Each car will carry two coolers containing food items, and MIFA staff will provide directions through the meals route (to about 10 clients’ homes). Delivering an entire route takes approximately two hours.
Click here for our volunteer handbook, or download our training PowerPoint, narrated by Stacy Jacobson, MIFA friend and WREG News Channel 3 reporter. For more information, call (901) 529-4513.
Contact Us
Tonya Parker, Director of Meals on Wheels | tparker@mifa.org | (901) 529-4520
Angela Scott, Meals on Wheels Volunteer Specialist | ascott@mifa.org | (901) 529-4586
To become a volunteer, contact: Kristi Estes, MIFA Volunteer Specialist | kestes@mifa.org | (901) 529-4521
Senior Companion
This program pairs low-income, able seniors with homebound, disabled, or critically ill peers, helping clients with activities of daily living and providing family caregivers much-needed respite. Companions are supervised and assigned to clients by local agencies, such as Memphis Housing Authority, Veterans Administration, Plough Towers, and Church Health.
Eligibility
- Companions must be 55 and over and low-income
- Complete 20-hour pre-service training.
- Pass background checks (TBI, FBI, NSOPW)
- Have an income that is within eligibility guidelines
- Serve a minimum of 15 hours per week
- Be determined by a physical examination to be capable, with or without reasonable accommodation, of serving adults with special needs without detriment to either himself, herself or the adults served.
Impact
In FY19, the Senior Companion program’s 72 volunteers logged 60,013 hours while serving 99 clients.
Among surveyed Senior Companions:
- 98.15% of Senior Companions reported that they feel the program allows them to be more independent
- 98.15% said the program has improved their quality of life
Among surveyed clients:
- 95.35% feel less lonely
- 95.65% said the program has improved their quality of life
- 97.73% said the program allows them to continue living at home
Contact Us
Alecia Williams, Program Manager | awilliams@mifa.org | (901) 529-4532
Emmabeth Weaver, Volunteer Coordinator | eweaver@mifa.org | (901) 529-4535
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
MIFA's Long-Term Care Ombudsman program advocates for residents of long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and residential care homes. Through regular visits by staff and specially trained volunteers, the program investigates and mediates complaints, monitors residents’ care and quality of life, and provides public education for clients and their families.
Eligibility
Clients must be residents or potential residents of nursing homes, assisted living care facilities, or homes for the aged in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, or Lauderdale County.
Impact
In FY19, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program’s 37 volunteers completed 995 volunteer hours while providing advocacy for the care and dignity of 4,731 seniors living in local facilities. Program staff and volunteers also served residents and their families by handling 1,701 complaint resolution cases.
Volunteer
Trained Ombudsman volunteers pay regular visits to facilities, where they spend time with residents, monitor conditions, investigate complaints, and protect residents’ rights.
Volunteers must be 21 years of age with no conflicts of interest, provide references, submit to a background check, and complete an interview. Twelve hours of training and certification are required before a volunteer may visit residents. Volunteers must be willing and able to commit to the program for a minimum of one year, visiting residents weekly and working to resolve conflicts within nursing homes and care facilities.
Click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer.
Contact Us
Zev Samuels, District Ombudsman | zsamuels@mifa.org | (901) 529-4565
Carlos Royston, Volunteer Coordinator | croyston@mifa.org | (901) 529-4562