Madam Minister. We are sending you this letter in the ultimate hope of drawing your attention to what Quebec meals-on-wheels have been going through for too many years.
The socio-demographic situation has undergone significant changes, with in particular the constant growth of the senior population in recent years, leaving home care organizations such as Meals on Wheels stretched out, with few resources and without adequate funding. The recent pandemic years have only exacerbated a situation that was already highly problematic and we believe that it is becoming urgent to tackle the situation.
The vital nature of Meals on Wheels in maintaining people at home no longer needs to be demonstrated. In an overburdened healthcare system, meals on wheels fulfill their mission in an almost miraculous way and help prevent the rehousing in CHSLDs of seniors with loss of autonomy, by providing them with a healthy and balanced meal at the same time, despite the chronic underfunding from which they suffer.
Furthermore, it is crucial to emphasize that Meals on Wheels are not just meal delivery services. Through their regular visits, caring and dedicated volunteers act as lookouts for seniors, reporting any concerns or anomalies that may arise, helping to break their isolation and loneliness.
Last year, meals on wheels in the province managed, despite the pitfalls, to produce 4.18 million meals that were delivered to nearly 75,000 seniors with loss of autonomy, while keeping the average price of meal at $6.68. This is where the funding issue becomes problematic.
It is essential that meal prices remain affordable so that all seniors can eat adequately. The urgency is there. Without adequate funding, some Meals had no choice but to increase the price of their meals or even reduce the portions.
At the end of the day, it’s always the older person who suffers. With the cost of living skyrocketing and income stagnating, seniors with a loss of autonomy who want to stay at home with dignity have to choose between eating a nutritious, quality meal or paying the rent. In a society that we want to be fair and that prides itself on having the fate of seniors at heart, this shocking reality is absolutely unacceptable.
Madam Minister, the solution we are proposing to you is to increase funding for Meals on Wheels to $2.50 per meal. We are therefore asking you for additional recurring funding of $10.45 million, directly to the mission, through the Support Program for Community Organizations. Thanks to this amount, it will be possible to maintain our services and avoid closures of organizations such as those that have already occurred last year, creating an unfair break in service for the senior. This financial support would also avoid refusals of registration and waiting lists for the service, jeopardizing the safety of vulnerable people wishing to stay at home.
In closing, we would like to share with you our thoughts on a truly Quebec expression. The expression “going under the table” was used by our grandmothers when they wanted to apply a consequence to latecomers who, when supper time arrived, were conspicuous by their absence. Our ancestors then warned their offspring that they would pass under the table if they were not present on time.
Madam Minister, Meals on Wheels has been “present” for many years. However, it seems to us that tangible recognition through adequate funding is slow in coming. This letter is a cry from the heart from the 300 Meals on Wheels in Quebec1 who are tired of going under the table, despite their daily presence in the lives of seniors in our communities.
Meals on Wheels are indeed present and they are still impatiently awaiting the action of their elected officials.