Story published July 7, 2021, by NBC4:
LifeCare Alliance’s Michelle Jones predicts more than 4,000 fans will need to be distributed this year in Columbus.
LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign has been running for 20 years, in an effort to decrease heat-related deaths.
Call the fan hotline at 614-437-2870 to stay up-to-date on upcoming distribution dates.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to learn more about LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.
Photo and story published July 7, 2021, by ABC6:
LifeCare Alliance typically gives out anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 fans each summer during our Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.
Ted and Janice Onocki, two of many central Ohio residents receiving fans, mention getting a fan is like, “Christmas in the 90-degree heat!”
LifeCare Alliance provides a fan to anyone in need, no questions asked. Call the fan hotline at 614-437-2870 to stay up-to-date on upcoming distribution dates.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to learn more about LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.
Photo and story published in the July 2021 issue of Discover Grove City:
After retiring from a 35-year career with Nationwide Insurance in 2013, Dedra Thompson came on part-time as a dining center coordinator at the Evans Center in Grove City.
When the Evans Center had to temporarily close its doors, LifeCare Alliance arranged a grab-and-go lunch system in the parking lot of the Evans Center.
Dedra is passionate about her involvement with the center and says her favorite part is the seniors, and that staying in touch with them through grab-and-go lunches was a major source of support to help them get through loneliness.
Click here to read the full story.
LifeCare Alliance hosted the first electric fan distribution of the summer for its Beat the Heat campaign on Friday, June 18, 2021.
Additional information on fan distribution and donation is available by calling The Fan Hotline at 614-437-2870 or visiting the Fan Campaign webpage.
Click here to read the full story.
Picture and story published May 17, 2021, by the The Columbus Dispatch:
LifeCare Alliance’s daily Meals-on-Wheels delivery is a huge help to central Ohio residents like Deloris Harrington, who is undergoing chemotherapy and needs to stay home to recover from treatments.
From March 2019 to February 2020, the central Ohio Meals on Wheels program served 4,751 different customers. A year later, from March 2020 through February 2021, that number grew to 7,873, a 66% increase.
That increase in business, in turn, has led to an urgent need for more volunteers.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to volunteer and help LifeCare Alliance reach all those in need of services.
Story published May 4, 2021, by NBC4:
In honor of Older Americans Month, LifeCare Alliance wants others to know they are here to serve those older Ohioans through one of their programs.
LifeCare Alliance’s Help-at-Home provides homemaking and personal care services to older adults living in Franklin and Madison counties. The goal is to help seniors live in the comfort of their homes and to maintain an independent lifestyle.
One woman named Kathleen Henry is 101-years-old and said she’s been using the service for a few years now and is thankful for the program.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to join the LifeCare Alliance team.
Story published May 3, 2021, by the Madison Messenger:
LifeCare Alliance recently presented the Madison County Congregate Dining Spirit Award to longtime Meals-on-Wheels volunteer and Mount Sterling resident Marilyn “Mel” Leiper.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March last year, LifeCare Alliance had to shut down the local dining center. Leiper helped the organization transition the residents to home-delivered meals.
“Even through some health issues, she continued to make sure everyone got meals who needed them. She is a top notch volunteer, and we are forever grateful for her,” said Tony Madison, LifeCare Alliance Meals-on-Wheels driver.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to see the rest of the 2021 Spirit Award winners.
Story published April 27, 2021, by the Bellefontaine Examiner:
LifeCare Alliance awarded Lisa Manns (pictured middle with the award) from RTC Industries with the 2020 Logan County Meals-on-Wheels Corporate Partner Spirit Award for her commitment to a meal route adoption.
Lisa looks forward to continuing her commitment to volunteer and to keep spreading the word to others about how they too can enjoy giving back through LifeCare Alliance’s programs.
You must be subscribed to the Bellefontaine Examiner to access the full story.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to see the rest of the 2021 Spirit Award winners.
Story published April 14, 2021, by NBC4:
LifeCare Alliance is helping more people put food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Jones, LifeCare Alliance’s Communication Director, says the Agency distributes about 5,000 meals at both their drive-through sites and in person.
Anyone who needs assistance can check out LifeCare Alliance’s programs page.
Photo and story published Mar. 14, 2021, by 10TV:
The need for home deliveries in the community is higher now than it was this time last year.
“Our Meals on Wheels program has shot up 65% last April, in numbers, and we are still up that high. In fact last week we were up 69%, higher than we were last March,” said Charles W. Gehring, President and CEO of LifeCare Alliance
Gehring suggests calling the Franklin County Office on Aging at (614) 525-5230 or LifeCare Alliance (614) 278-3130, to talk to a person who can help arrange an appointment and a ride to a vaccination site.
Story published Mar. 10, 2021, by the Dayton 24/7 Now:
Those with type 2 diabetes are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Montgomery County has one of the highest incidence rates for diabetes in the state.
Donna Queen is living with type 2 diabetes. She said her parents and siblings have it as well. She said this is life-changing news.
Chuck Gehring, President and CEO of LifeCare Alliance, said this news is especially important in the Miami Valley. LifeCare Alliance’s Diabetes Dayton provides free diabetes education and supplies like test strips and meters to the community.
Photo and story published Mar. 5, 2021, by the Columbus Dispatch:
Despite her deep love for their pets, Natalie Joe and Michael Kennison almost had to give them up because they were having a hard time affording pet food.
Similar to Meals on Wheels, LifeCare Alliance’s Senior PetCare program regularly delivers dog and cat food to people’s front doors. To receive the monthly pet food, someone must be a client of LifeCare Alliance, which serves older adults, the medically challenged and homebound adults.
Senior PetCare volunteer Liz Alcalde has delivery routes for the program on the East and South sides. She says, “…everybody that I deliver to is really, really struggling financially, and I just really think it’s important that they are allowed to have their pet with them.”
Photo by Rob Hardin. Story published Feb. 26, 2021, by Columbus CEO:
Sandy Freer, Vice President of Business Partner Relations at Quantum Health, has been chosen as the Volunteer of the Year by Columbus CEO for their 2021 Healthcare Achievement Awards.
At the heart of Quantum Health’s many efforts is LifeCare Alliance. Freer and her team began taking delivery routes in 2009 and over time increased participation to five times per week.
Freer says, “It brings me joy, and I believe part of the reason I’m here on this Earth is to be in service to other people.”
Story published Feb. 2, 2021, by 10TV:
Dylan Knecht was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes when he was just 2 years old.
According to GoodRx, a vial of insulin, which is about 1,000 units, cost $210 in 2014, that price rose to $360 by 2018.
LifeCare Alliance, which manages the Central Ohio Diabetes Association and Diabetes Dayton, sees a lot of individuals or families who suddenly get this disease and then have to start spending 400 or more dollars a month on insulin for one person.
Photo and story published Jan. 29, 2021, by Columbus Dispatch:
According to a new bipartisan investigation, the cost of insulin has been kept artifically high.
The investigation found that drug manufacturers “aggressively” raised the list price of their leading insulin brands an average of 300% over the past decade.
Lifecare Alliance hands out supplies for diabetics but cannot provide insulin.
Story published Jan. 18, 2021, by NBC4:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become a national day of service.
Volunteers like Dawn Smith have made volunteering on MLK Day a yearly tradition, and want to pass it on to the next generation.
LifeCare Alliance set up its own drive-thru operation for volunteers to check in and pick up meals with limited contact. Volunteers limited their direct contact with clients when they dropped off meals, but hoped the service itself was a gesture of goodwill.
Story published Jan. 12, 2021, by 10TV:
Nancy Jones lost her husband, Jack, a year ago. On top of an already tough year, she started worrying about her furnace.
It started going out, and she said she wouldn’t have been able to afford fixing it. She started calling places and got in touch with LifeCare Alliance.
LifeCare Alliance replaced furnaces for about 30 people [in 2020].
Photo and story published Dec. 22, 2020, by The Columbus Dispatch:
Gracie Davis starts crying every time she sees her Christmas presents sitting by the fireplace.
The 69-year-old Far East Side resident received the gifts through the Adopt-a-Family program by LifeCare Alliance and the Columbus Cancer Clinic.
“There’s people out there that do want to help you,” Davis said. “I’ve never had anybody do anything like that for me.”
The Adopt-a-Family program started in 2006.
The program adopted 54 families this year, which equates to 254 household members, said Christin Brown, director of the Columbus Cancer Clinic.
Photo and story published Nov. 24, 2020, by NBC4i:
This Thanksgiving will look a lot different for most, especially for the elderly in central Ohio.
Many of them will be spending the day alone, but thanks to LifeCare Alliance, they will at least be getting a hot meal to enjoy.
LifeCare Alliance is adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic and still providing much needed meals to the seniors in the community.
Photo and story published Nov. 11, 2020, by ABC 6:
LifeCare Alliance volunteers got to work early Wednesday morning. They were determined to show appreciation to veterans on Veterans Day.
Fallen 15 pitched in as well. Fallen 15 is an organization that honors fallen service members. They also work with veterans in the community.
“So, we wanted to do what we could, in a safe, social distancing manner, where we can go out and support them and make sure the families are getting the food they need,” said Sarah Boreland, a Board Member of Fallen 15.
Photo and story published Nov. 9, 2020, by The Columbus Dispatch:
People with compromised immune systems are at a higher risk of having a severe illness from COVID-19.
“Compromised immune systems means you get COVID-19 very easily and you could end up in the hospital very easily,” said Chuck Gehring, president and CEO of LifeCare Alliance, which provides essential services to thousands of seniors and people with medical challenges or disabilities in central Ohio.
“You’ve got a compromised immune system and that’s a problem to fight off COVID-19,” Gehring said. “You’re just not as strong.”
Photo and story published Aug. 31, 2020, by Columbus CEO Magazine:
LifeCare Alliance is perhaps best known for being the Midwest’s leading provider of Meals-on-Wheels. Diabetes management, however, has become an increasing part of its caseload and care for seniors.
In August, the organization merged with Diabetes Dayton, a nonprofit that provides programs and services to help people suffering from the chronic condition.
“Diabetes Dayton, because of their size, they couldn’t take everybody that needed help,” said LifeCare Alliance President & CEO Charles W. Gehring. “At LifeCare Alliance, we take everybody. Together we’ll be bigger and stronger.”
Photo and story published Aug. 27, 2020, by The Columbus Dispatch:
A nonprofit organization that has been helping diabetes patients in southwestern Ohio since the 1960s aims to strengthen and expand services by merging with a larger Columbus charity.
LifeCare Alliance, one of central Ohio’s largest and oldest charities, has merged with Diabetes Dayton in an effort to boost services in a part of the state with high rates of the disease.
The move brings Ohio’s last two diabetes-focused nonprofit organizations under the LifeCare umbrella, officials said. The Central Ohio Diabetes Association joined LifeCare in 2017.
Photo and story published Aug. 27, 2020, in the Dayton Business Journal:
Diabetes Dayton, one of just a few independent diabetes associations in Ohio, has completed a merger with LifeCare Alliance — one of the oldest and largest nonprofit organizations in the state.
The partnership aims to expand services for both new and existing clients, enhance access to resources and strengthen care offerings for both nonprofits.
Thanks to community donations, LifeCare Alliance has given away nearly 1500 fans this summer. These fans go to central Ohioans who don’t have access to adequate air conditioning. Fan recipients are often at extreme risk during heat waves because of advanced age, chronic medical conditions, or poverty.
LifeCare Alliance delivers fans directly through Meals-on-Wheels as well as weekly public drive-through fan distributions.
LifeCare Alliance’s summer fan campaign supplies fans to central Ohioans in desperate need of in-home cooling. Meals-on-Wheels drivers deliver fans to home bound people in addition to public drive-through fan distributions.
During an early July heat wave, fans can be a valuable tool for keeping senior citizens and other venerable people safe and comfortable.
Read more here.
LifeCare Alliance President & CEO Chuck Gehring was a guest on WOSU Public Media’s All Sides with Ann Fisher this week to discuss the Agency’s activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are highlights from his interview (begins at 14:00 time stamp):
LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels program has seen a 53% increase in clients – or about 2,300 new clients – as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We are still accepting all who qualify, and we continue to offer our services without a waiting list. (If you or someone you know is in need of our services, click here to complete a referral application.)
LifeCare Alliance’s new home-delivery clients may be people affected by temporarily closed Senior Dining Centers, or those who may have temporarily lost access to family support because of quarantine and stay-at-home orders. Some new clients receive a weekly drop of frozen meals.
Daily check-ins are a critical part of the Meals-on-Wheels program. Five people were found in distress during the first week of the stay-at-home order. They were able to get help because of the volunteer or staff member who visited to deliver a meal.
The Agency has seen more than 1,200 new volunteer sign-ups in response to the increased need. Some new volunteers are people working from home or college students who are home from campus – people who temporarily have more flexibility in their schedules to volunteer.
LifeCare Alliance asks new volunteers to stay involved if they can, as many prepare to return to their workplaces. (Volunteers who have attended an orientation class can sign up for routes using our Meal Scheduler tool. First-time volunteers can get started by filling out an application online.) Volunteers may want to check with their employers if they would support their volunteer efforts or Adopt-a-Route.
A variety of volunteer opportunities is available, such as pantry drop-offs for our Groceries-to-Go clients and pet food deliveries with our Senior PetCare program.
LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels menu includes new items such as omelets, waffle sticks with blueberry compote, and popcorn chicken. Menus can be customized and options such as kosher, vegetarian, and pureed are offered. Our dietitians can work with your doctor to choose a meal plan if you wish.
The central Ohio community has always been generous, and that has been apparent during the coronavirus pandemic. Emergency funds and other corporate donations have been appreciated as LifeCare Alliance serves a growing number of people in our community.
We encourage all volunteers to be safe, with prevention practices such as wearing masks and observing social distancing.
Photo and story published April 6, 2020, by nbc4i:
Seniors and those with compromised immune systems are among some of the most vulnerable at this time. LifeCare Alliance is now serving up to 7,000 meals a day to meet the growing need.
As the need for Meals-on-Wheels increases, LifeCare Alliance asks that more volunteers step up.
Photo and story published April 2, 2020, by WBNS-10TV:
LifeCare Alliance depends on more volunteers as the demand for Meals-on-Wheels increases. With a large number of regular volunteers now falling into the vulnerable category for COVID-19, there are fewer volunteers.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol recognizes the growing need for the daily, essential meal and check, and steps up to serve!
Photo and story published March 30, 2020, by ColumbusCEO:
LifeCare Alliance is now offering a daily volunteer training to meet the growing demand of Meals-on-Wheels. With the recent closing of all 40 dining centers, 800 clients will now have their meals delivered.
This new effort has been possible because of the many volunteers who have stepped up. Because of the critical need, additional volunteers and donations are greatly needed.
Photo and story published March 20, 2020, by abc6:
LifeCare Alliance will continue to offer meals to home-bound seniors even amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. “The demand for Meals-on-Wheels has gone up dramatically,” said Chuck Gehring, President and CEO of LifeCare Alliance.
As the demand for Meals-on-Wheels increases, Lifecare Alliance counts on their thousands of volunteers to step up and serve their central Ohio neighbors.
Photo and story published March 19, 2020, in the Columbus Dispatch:
LifeCare Alliance has made changes to the program that serves 5,000 meals a day on 165 routes to shut-ins in multiple counties. The changes include not requiring people to sign for their meals (to limit contact) and drivers picking up food and paperwork outside the nonprofit’s headquarters in Franklinton.
But even in these uncertain times, not one of the agency’s thousands of volunteers have said they would stop delivering.
Photo and story broadcast on March 13, 2020, on Fox 28:
Senior citizens are most at risk for Coronavirus, so people are doing everything they can to keep them safe. Among those on the frontline, thousands of “Meals on Wheels” volunteers in Central Ohio.
Josephine Jeffries said the deliveries mean the world to her.
“It’s so hard for me to walk. I am 93 years old and it’s been a real blessing. Everybody who delivers food is so friendly,” said Jeffries.
Photo and story broadcast March 11, 2020, on NBC4i:
The threat of the Coronavirus has organizers with Meals on Wheels already making plans just in case the virus comes to Columbus.
Organizers with Lifecare Alliance say they’ve had meetings for the last few weeks making sure they’ve got a plan in place to make staff and seniors stay safe.
Chuck Gehring is the CEO of the Lifecare Alliance. He said he’s been calming staff fears all week. “Everyone is on edge. Concerned. I tell our volunteers the people they’re delivering to. They’re going to be the last ones who are going to be attacked by this,” said Gehring.
Photo and story published March 9, 2020, in The Columbus Dispatch:
As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the U.S., Ohio prepares to keep those most at-risk safe.
LifeCare Alliance establishes a plan that will allow clients to continue receiving all essential services, including Meals-on-wheels, even if an outbreak occurs.
Photo and story published December 12, 2019, by The Columbus Dispatch:
LifeCare Alliance receives a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to further partnerships with local fire departments and health-care providers, improving access to care and eliminating the frequent, unnecessary emergency calls.
This grant allows LifeCare Alliance to expand services to meet the needs of the community, while also preventing “frequent flyers” of the health-care system – keeping people out of nursing homes, and in their own homes.
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