Creativity & Innovation
Generating fresh ideas and new ways of doing things can help senior nutrition programs as they navigate challenges and work to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world, from public health emergencies to meeting the needs of a new generation of older adults. Discover how programs across the country are identifying innovative and creative practices to improve services, diversifying funding, and improving the health of recipients.
- Meal Site Environment: Institutional or Innovative — Resources to optimize a congregate meal site environment and improve overall participation (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Innovation: Part Discipline, Part Creativity, All Possible — Document outlining four basic steps that guide organizations in practical solutions (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- About Congregate Meals and Choice Menus — Guide on increasing participation by offering a choice menu for congregate meals (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Choice Menus — Examples of how four different programs successfully offer choice menus (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Iowa Cafe Guide for Partners — Guide to restaurant partnerships designed to help food service establishments partner with Area Agencies on Aging (Iowa Department on Aging, 2023)
- Iowa Cafe Guide for AAAs — Guide to restaurant partnership to help Area Agencies on Aging partner with food service establishments (Iowa Department on Aging, 2023)
- Guide to Working With Restaurants and Grocery Stores for Meals — Guidance on partnering with food retailers to enhance competitiveness, provide high-quality meals, and expand meal choices (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Sullivan Senior Center's St. Patrick's Day Grab & Go — Information on socially distanced community meal distribution (Edward E. Sullivan Senior Center)
- Connecting Home-delivered Meal Participants to Remote Evidence-Based Programs— Article highlighting organizations’ success in integrating meals, clinical services, and evidence-based programs (National Council on Aging, 2023)
- Food Trucks
- Food Truck 101 for Senior Nutrition Programs — Guide to using food trucks to expand senior meal access and outreach (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Meals in Motion — Resource on utilizing food trucks to innovate (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- How To Start a Food Truck Business: A Step-by-Step Guide— One-hour webinar on launching a successful business (SCORE Association, 2022)
- Social Enterprising Aging Network Example: REAL Grille — Resource on innovation of using both food trucks and catering services (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Meals in Motion Food Truck— Four-minute video on a Connecticut food truck that serves congregate and home-delivered meals
The Diner: Promising Practices from the Network — Resource with examples on pivoting to social distancing (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Increasing Participation (YouTube)— Joint 25-minute webinar on strategies to increase participation in meal programs (National Council on Aging and Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Revamp Your Congregate Meal Program Series (YouTube) — Four-part series designed to help local programs increase congregate meal participation and expand community reach (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Power Up Your Congregate Meal Program Series (YouTube) — Joint three-part webinar series on the congregate meal program (National Council on Aging and Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Enhance Hospitality — Resources to enhance atmosphere and hospitality for congregate meal programs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Offer More Choices — Strategies to increase menu and meal options (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Updating Programming To Attract Baby Boomers — Practice models for state and local nutrition professionals (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2018)
- Making Your Meal Program THRIVE (YouTube)— One-hour webinar on a University of Arizona Center on Aging project focused on ensuring emotionally safe, supportive, and inclusive environments (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Implementing a Community-Based Initiative to Improve Nutritional Intake Among HDM Recipients— Study that dives deeper into providing autonomy to older adults when it comes to selecting home-delivered meals and awareness of health complexities (LifeCare Alliance, 2022)
- Strategies for Implementing the interRAI Home Care Frailty Scale With Home-Delivered Meal Clients— Study focused on implementing a standardized frailty assessment tool with home-delivered meal clients (LifeCare Alliance, 2023)
- Reimagining Cross-Sector Collaborations Post-Pandemic to Optimize Care for Vulnerable Homebound Older Adult Populations— Study on stakeholder collaboration to meet the needs of vulnerable older adults (Interfaith Ministries, 2022)
- Long Term Support Referrals to Enhance Food Security and Wellbeing in Older Adults: Texas Physicians and Nurses on What Works— Study on the viewpoints of Texas physicians and nurses regarding the decline of congregate meal programs and community-based referrals for older adults (Texas A&M University, 2023)
- Senior Nutrition Programs: Restaurant Program Toolkit — Resources with key features of restaurant programs, guidance on how to create them, and promising practices for implementation and sustainability (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Behavior Design Toolkit— Strategies that facilitate food service guidelines by encouraging customers to select healthier items (CDC, 2024)
- Sharing Our Space— Resources for developing and enhancing intergenerational sites (Generations United and the Eisner Foundation)
- Social, Mental, Emotional Health Coloring Pages — Activities and resources to support wellbeing (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Partnerships With Food Banks and Other United States Department of Agriculture Programs — Document with frequently asked questions on partnering Older Americans Act programs with SNAP, TEFAP, Food Banks, SFMNP (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Recipe for Success: Dining Options (YouTube)— Bite-sized video reviewing various service delivery options (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Recipe for Success: Grab-and-Go (YouTube)— Bite-sized video with tips on implementing this option (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Network Spotlight
- Giving People a Reason to Show Up (YouTube)— Eight-minute Network Spotlight on providing a nutrition program shaped by the needs and preferences of older adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Thinking Outside the Box With Meals On Wheels (YouTube)— Ten-minute Network Spotlight on creative ideas to incorporate into home-delivered meals and community outreach (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Innovation in Nutrition Grant Model B (Encore Cafe) Replication Call With Original Grant Recipient (YouTube)— One-hour overview of the project and guidance from original grant recipient (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Keeping Things Fresh (YouTube)— Six-minute Network Spotlight about serving fresh meals with self-grown produce in Wisconsin (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Senior Center Without Walls Model (YouTube)— Five-minute Network Spotlight about delivering meals and activities for older adults within and by the community (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Serving Frozen Home-delivered Meals (YouTube)— Three-minute Network Spotlight on how changing to frozen meals positively impacted the Orange County Office for the Aging (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Adding Breakfast to Benefit Participants (YouTube)— Six-minute Network Spotlight on how Meals on Wheels Atlanta provides breakfast boxes to meal participants (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)