When dad broke his hip, I was anxious to find a way for him to stay in his home. He didn’t want to move in with me, so I found the next best thing. I talked to the Area Agency for Aging and asked if they could arrange for a visiting nurse to come by the house and make sure he was okay. Not only did they get a visiting nurse, but it was someone who would help him dress, give him his physical therapy and even tidy up the house. I asked about meal delivery services for the elderly and she said they could also arrange for a meal delivery service that would take care of all his meals every week for as long as it was needed. They said they appreciated donations, but it wasn’t a necessity. The meal delivery service not only delivered food to my dad, but the gentleman who delivered it wasn’t much younger than dad, and he just broke his hip a year earlier. My dad couldn’t stop talking about his new friend. I couldn’t believe the visiting nurse and the man who did his meal delivery service would make such an impact on my dad and on his mood. He looked ten years younger and had more energy than I had seen since I was much younger. I’m wondering if they have a meal delivery service for people in their fifties. Maybe I’ll have more energy and keep up with dad. On the other hand, if I walk with dad every morning, like he asks me to, I’ll probably get more energy and lose some weight, without meal delivery services.