Keeping seniors fit in mind, body and spirit

By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic

Photography: Tom Tracy

MIAMI | Carmen Arredondo came here recently for the fish lunch – there were two types of fish on offer - and stayed for the jewelry making and fellowship.

The setting was a daily Catholic Charities of Miami meals program that offered seniors throughout the region not only a nutritious meal but also social engagement, exercise classes and festive get togethers.

“I had a lot of fun — I made these bracelets today with a combination of stars and numbers,” Arredondo said, at an event Feb. 27 at Brisas del Este Apartments Phase II Community Center in Miami.

The luncheon corresponded with National Retro Day & Café-Style Senior Dining and on this particular afternoon featured a Zumba latin music style dance and movement class before meals were served.

“I have four years in this program and these are all my friends,” Arredondo said, adding that she lives in the Brisas del Este Apartments but that her daughter in town lives too far away for daily companionship so the meals program offers her a regular set of friends.

“I can communicate with some nice people and feel happy because I have company around me. The food is very good, and today I had fish. When they have a costume party I come in a costume.”

Haitian-American Maud Caido, who said she lives nearby in her own home with her three children, said she didn’t participate in the jewelry making but did manage to dance a little.

“I have a friend sitting over there named Vicente; he is from Peru. We meet here every day and we sup together. And the food here is very nice, we usually have something with rice and beans,” Caido said.

 

A meal program that builds community 

Besides the food and activities, Feb. 27 also featured a fun theme: 1960’s throwback attire, with guests, staff and volunteers dressing hippie style with some valuable assistance from student volunteers from Miami-Dade Community College on hand to engage the senior citizens.

At other times the volunteers have come from Belén Jesuit Preparatory School, Centro Mater Child Care Center, or the AARP seniors volunteer programs in Miami.

“What we’re especially proud of is our café-style meal service, which has transformed the senior dining experience across seven (Miami-area) sites,” said Estephany Deleg, program director at Services for the Elderly of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami. The program is looking at expanding to even more sites throughout the city and around the Miami Archdiocese.

What began as a pilot at one location has now expanded program-wide, offering two protein options per meal, a fresh salad bar, and two service times to accommodate high demand and seniors with medical appointments, Deleg added.

“These enhancements of wider culinary choices and two serving times have significantly increased satisfaction and participation across our programs,” she said. “We are the first such congregate meal program in South Florida to offer seniors Cafe Style meals to bring dignity through options to seniors not only one-third of their daily nutrition requirements but with options for what they want to eat and they can choose between things and that has increased satisfaction.”

U.S. government sponsored congregate meal programs for seniors generally offer meals, social interaction and sometimes health screenings to adults 60 years of age and older in order to help reduce isolation and malnutrition.

Deleg said all of the seniors formally register in the program and are evaluated by staff in order to help access and improve their health and well-being using an 707c Elder Affairs assessment tool consisting of 47 questions.

 

Café-style dining brings dignity and choice

 

The Cafe Style meal option is in its third year with Catholic Charities of Miami. And seniors in high risk of malnutrition can qualify for delivery meals as well. The goal is to support their independent living.

“We encourage them to eat with us, to improve their social situation and share with their peers, but also we understand that some of them have different dietary needs and if they want to take some food home they can do that under their responsibility,” Deleg said.

“Every year we evaluate our clients to see if they are retaining or reducing in terms of a nutrition score and to reduce nutritional risk and isolation. Everyone whose score is under 5.5 on the scale is in a manageable situation.

Catholic Charities is currently moving forward with several expansion efforts in Miami-Dade County, Deleg added. “We expect to open a new congregate meal site in Homestead at Sacred Heart Senior Center by the end of this month. In the coming months, we are also planning to reopen our Little East Havana at the Myers Senior Center location.”

Additionally, the agency is actively working to expand into new community-based senior centers, with a goal of opening approximately two additional sites this year. Catholic Charities does not currently operate congregate meal sites in Broward County but does have an adult day care in the town of Wilton Manors.

“The level of need among the population we serve remains significant: 98% of participants qualify for federal assistance due to limited income, 63% live alone, 53% reside in subsidized housing, and 87% have limited English proficiency,” Deleg said. “Additionally, 99% depend on Medicare, and 95% identify as Hispanic/Latino, highlighting both the economic and cultural vulnerabilities of our community.”

Overall funding for the congregate meals program of Catholic Charities has included support from the U.S. Department of Elder Affairs; Miami-Dade County; the United Way; the City of Miami; and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. There are currently some eight locations around Miami.

Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami puts the national mission of Catholic Charities USA into action by serving those most in need across South Florida through a wide range of programs, including immigration and legal assistance, food distribution, housing and homelessness support, senior care, and disaster relief.

Grounded in Catholic social teaching, its work goes beyond emergency aid by helping individuals and families achieve long-term stability while upholding their dignity. In a region shaped by immigration, economic inequality, and natural disasters, Catholic Charities plays a vital role as a frontline support system for vulnerable communities.