Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland strive to ensure clients receive meals based on their unique circumstances. The food supplement program was created to sustain clients with weekend meals in Montgomery County who were currently not recipients of weekend meals.
With a total of 44 clients and 2,400 meals funded by this program, the story of a married couple resembled the importance and impact of these extra meals. Meet William P. and Cythina R., residents of Onley, Maryland.
Both at 77 years old, William and Cynthia have been clients of the Home Delivered Meal program for five months now. William and Cynthia have lived quite a life together. Married for over 40 years with three beautiful children and nine grandchildren, the couple are now empty nesters and learning to live safely and comfortably as life as they once knew it, is no longer.
In the past year, Cynthia’s memory has been everchanging. “My daughter was helping a lot in trying to find a place for Cynthia to go because of her gradual memory loss,” says William P. “The thought of Cynthia not being home did not sit right with anyone, especially Cynthia.”
Cynthia was quite the cook from what I heard. Though she does not have an ounce of Italian in her genetics, her tomato sauce is one to brag about. However, dinnertime is a real struggle in this couple’s home. “Cynthia enjoys cooking but it can be a danger for her and our home,” says William P. “What could take an hour to cook, turns into 3.”
Cynthia’s memory loss has been a continuous learning process for the whole family. Both Cynthia and William go to care giver meetings on Thursdays for people and their families who suffer from mild cognitive disabilities. It helps Cynthia socialize but also teaches William how to adapt to Cynthia’s memory loss. William P. says, “Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland helps me more than it helps Cynthia.”
William and Cynthia had an adventurous and peaceful life before Cynthia’s health took a decline. William praised the meaning of visiting their children and grandchildren. However, a close second to those visits are the numerous cruises the married couple have been on. “We went to Australia and New Zealand about 6 years ago,” says William. “A couple of years ago we went on a repositioning cruise in Barcelona.”
Though that part of their life has come to an end, the couple strive to make every day easy and comfortable, and the extra weekend meals ensure that they are fed throughout the whole week. William P. was never the cook of the house, and Cynthia R. still sees it that way. Anytime William tried to cook, Cynthia would express her frustration and not understand why cooking is no longer an easy or safe task for her. “It’s saving time, and we no longer have frustration with each other over meals anymore”, says William P. “Cynthia thinks she can cook but she doesn’t understand.”
Though William and Cynthia are still trying to figure out what life now looks like for them, these weekend meals allow just an ounce of relieved stress in this already confusing time. The goal of our meals is to keep clients in the comfort of their home when life gets hard, not only for the client with a disability, but for those who are also affected. William and Cynthia’s story shows that our meals help not only feed clients but bring a sense of ease and relief.
“I don’t know how much longer we will be receiving meals, but I am so happy with how it’s been”, William P.