Meals on Wheels
I spent a morning with Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. delivering hot meals and doing wellness checks for San Mateo seniors through the Meals on Wheels Program. Every week, Peninsula Volunteers delivers hot, nutritious meals to over 100 homebound seniors and adults with disabilities in the City of San Mateo who are unable to cook and shop for themselves.
It felt momentous to be welcomed into conversations in people's living rooms and at dining room tables after so many pandemic years of isolation and social distance. They openly shared their perspectives and insights, honing in on 3 key issues:
Public Safety - vulnerability about home robberies, violent attacks against seniors, theft and shootings in shopping areas.
Homelessness - concerns about the rising crisis of unhoused people and the need for programs, services, and housing.
Pedestrian Infrastructure - fears of tripping or falling, desire for improved road and sidewalk maintenance, clearer signage, extended signals and cross walks.
The seniors I met were home-owners with decades of history in San Mateo. They wish to stay in San Mateo and age in place. Programs like Meals on Wheels, the Senior Rides Program, and Self Help for the Elderly are providing an essential safety-net for our aging population.
As we look ahead, seniors make up the fastest growing age demographic in our County. The City of San Mateo is working to advance implementation of the Age-Friendly City Strategic Initiatives - particularly as it relates to infrastructure improvements and increasing access to social safety-net programs.
Senior Rides Program
The Parks and Recreation Department offers seniors living in San Mateo a safe and affordable means of transportation. As a participant in the Get Around! Senior Rides Program, you will be able to schedule your rides in advance or on-demand, 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
Register Online OR complete a registration form and mail to the Senior Center (2645 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo CA 94403). Learn more!
Building an Age-Friendly City
The World Health Organization established the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities to connect organizations worldwide with the common vision of making their community a great place to grow old in as a response to global population aging. It focuses on action at the local level that fosters the full participation of older people in community life and promotes healthy and active aging.
An Age-Friendly Community Task Force comprised of primarily older adults in the community. The task force, in collaboration with the Senior Commission, is committed to conducting a baseline assessment on the needs of older adults, establishing a 3-year action plan to address the identified needs, and developing tools to measure progress.