PEORIA (25News Now) – Agencies for the state’s oldest residents are asking Springfield legislators for more money to cut down on an extensive waiting list for home-bound seniors needing meals.

Aging agencies are asking for $10 million for the Illinois Department on Aging “Home Delivered Meals” program.

In a press conference on Wednesday, these groups voiced support for seniors in Illinois through investments in caregivers, home-delivered meals, and fraud prevention.

Advocates from Central Illinois focused on the growing need for home-delivered meals for the elderly, saying the additional funding would be meant to alleviate an extensive wait list of qualified home-bound elderly in need of either frozen or fresh meals delivered to their homes.

Tessa Mahoney, Executive Director of Age Central, formerly known as Central Illinois Agency on Aging in Peoria, was one of those advocates.

Age Central stretches across six counties, including Peoria.

According to Mahoney, their serving population includes over 95,000 elderly in the area over the age of 60.

30,000 of those elderly are in rural areas where it is difficult to get to grocery stores. Those counties include Woodford, Marshall, and Stark counties.

From those numbers, 18,000 elderly are on food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“So far this year, we have served 169,000 meals in our six counties, and it is May, it’s the beginning of May,” said Mahoney to 25 News.

“We have seven more months to go, and that need is going to continue to rise with the changes to SNAP.”

Mahoney said the $10 million they are asking for from legislators would not cover all the elderly on the wait list for the home delivery program. She estimates the total cost it would take to ensure every senior citizen receives a meal is closer to $25 million.

To qualify for these meals, those over 60 must take an assessment to prove they are homebound. If they qualify, they receive either frozen meals to their home twice a month, hot meals to their home five times a week, or a mix of the two. Those who qualify do not have to be on an income limit.

“What the goal is, is to provide that resource to older adults in their own homes to keep them aging in place, where they want to age,” said Mahoney, calling it preventative care.

“The idea is that this will prevent institutionalization in long-term care facilities. If we can provide these resources now, we can keep these elderly out of nursing homes.”

Mahoney said from an economic lens, feeding a senior for one-year costs roughly $2,600. That amount compared to one month in a nursing home is drastically different. She said one month using Medicaid dollars for a nursing care facility can run from $8,000 to $10,000.

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