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A New Mobile App - The First of Its Kind for Meals on Wheels
Delivering food and friendship through VNA Meals on Wheels just got a little easier with the help of a new technology solution. A mobile application – the first of its kind for Meals on Wheels – debuted Tuesday, March 26 at a Toyota Test Drive launch event at VNA Texas.
Through this simple and user-friendly mobile app, Meals on Wheels volunteers are able to:
View all client information on the day of delivery Navigate from stop-to-stop through their phone’s mapping application Indicate whether meals are delivered or undelivered Provide client-related feedback to the VNA Meals on Wheels staff
In addition to increasing efficiency and streamlining processes, the app offers a vital and real-time link between volunteers, clients, and Meals on Wheels staff to address client needs more efficiently.
With one in six Dallas County seniors struggling with hunger, it is critical for VNA to provide compassionate care in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The app will transform our Meals on Wheels delivery operations to better serve our senior clients as well as improve the volunteer experience.
The technology is the result of nearly a year of work by VNA, Toyota Motor North America, and Dallas-based management consulting and technology solutions firm, Credera. Support for the initiative was provided by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Toyota and Credera.
Over the past year, Toyota partnered with VNA Meals on Wheels to reach more seniors in need of a nutritious meal, further the services that Meals on Wheels volunteers provide and leverage technology to improve health outcomes for some of the most vulnerable members of the North Texas community.
Nearly 150 Toyota volunteers participated in the launch event to test drive the new app and provide food, friendship and a daily safety check to more than 600 seniors in Dallas County.
“We engaged the expertise of our team members to help develop an effective technology solution and find ways to improve VNA operations — all with the goal of helping serve more seniors in need,” said Mike Goss, General Manager, Toyota Social Innovation. “By finding new and innovative ways to bring critical services to the doors of those in need, we can help improve quality of life in the community.”
Thank you, Toyota, for driving away hunger in North Texas!
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Paul Ramler — A Humble, Quiet Person Who Has Made an Enormous Impact on Patients
As a VNA Hospice Chaplain in Dallas for 34 years, Paul Ramler is a humble, quiet person who has made an enormous impact on patients, their families, VNA staff, and the community as a whole. Embodying the true spirit of VNA, he believes in hospice and its many gifts. In the 1980s, Paul co-authored the training manual, “Life After Loss” with a VNA social worker for the Dallas American Cancer Society—a manual used for decades. He has spoken to many religious and civic organizations providing education about the merits of hospice and has trained countless VNA employees about the role of the chaplain in hospice care.
Paul has a mission to connect with all of his patients and is the quintessential listener—comfortable in the silence, quietly listening and waiting to affirm a thought at just the right moment. It is this exceptional ability to listen, support, and comfort that make him so wonderful at his role. Incredibly committed to patients and their families, Paul has taken calls from family members even after their loved one has been discharged from or revoked VNA Hospice Care to officiate that individual’s funeral. He is a person of integrity, is thoughtful and reliable going above and beyond for his patients, families, and fellow staff members. With his commitment to hospice care, VNA, and all those we serve, we are so grateful to Paul for his many years of service. No one is more deserving of the Texas & New Mexico Hospice Organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations, Paul!
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Download the New Meals on Wheels Mobile App Today
The VNA Meals on Wheels Mobile App is here! You might be asking yourself, “Why should I use the mobile app?” We’re glad you asked! Here are our top 5 reasons you should use the mobile app:
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Navigate with ease. No more plugging in addresses into Google Maps – the VNA Meals on Wheels Mobile App will do the work for you!
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Quickly communicate feedback or concerns. As a VNA Meals on Wheels volunteer, you are the eyes and ears for our clients. Through the mobile app, you will be able to quickly communicate client feedback or concerns with the press of a button.
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Go paperless! With the mobile app, you will have all the information you need to deliver your meals! While we will still provide paper manifests at the drop site, you will have the opportunity to go paperless with the mobile app.
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View your routes before the day of delivery. Before delivery days, you will be able to preview your upcoming route so that you know what to expect.
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It’s fun! The mobile app is designed to be extremely simple and user friendly. It even includes shortcuts like swiping rows to mark meals as delivered and undelivered!
As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please email volunteer@vnatexas.org or visit our Help Page at https://volunteer.vnatexas.org/help.
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Keeping our Eyes and Hearts Open to the Struggles of Others
Eighty-five years ago, The Visiting Nurse Association was established by two tenacious women: Lillian Becket, a public health nurse, and Sadie Lefkowitz, wife of the Rabbi from Temple Emanu-El. With many in Dallas reeling from the Great Depression, they saw a need in the community and worked to provide women and their families with access to quality health care in the place they call home.
This compassionate and pioneering spirit is very much alive today as we strive to fulfill our mission to help people age with dignity and independence at home. Since 1934, our dedicated volunteers and professional staff have kept their eyes and hearts open to the struggles of others in our community and are passionate stewards of our mission.
As I reflect on the 85 years of changes and challenges VNA has faced, I note five characteristics that have consistently weaved the fabric of our organizational DNA.
Connection – The importance of providing care and human connection in the place people call home is steeped in our history and alive in our mission today. It is more cost effective for society to keep people in their homes, where they want to be and out of expensive institutions.
Generosity – The generosity of individuals contributing their time and resources has always been and will continue to be critical to the vibrancy of VNA—from the first fundraiser which was a charity tea held in Mrs. Degolyer’s garden in 1947 which raised $700, to our Celebrity Chef event held last month raising more than $500,000!
Innovation – In the late ‘70s, VNA piloted the Medicare Hospice Benefit, changing end-of-life care across the country. Today, we are participating in a Medicare innovation pilot for home-based palliative care. Now in our second year, VNA Care Choices is providing patients, care givers and physicians with flexibility in treatment decisions and compassionate symptom and pain management in the home.
Technology – Our core is caregiving, but we must deliver care efficiently and cost effectively. We were one of the first home care agencies to use electronic medical records and today, thanks to Lyda Hill with support from Toyota corporation, we recently launched the Meals on Wheels mobile app to improve the delivery experience for volunteers and allow drivers to provide real-time feedback on our clients.
Impact – In 1935, VNA nurses made 600 visits to patients in their homes. Last year, we cared for 10,000 patients and clients through Meals on Wheels, Hospice, Palliative and Private Care throughout North Texas.
Our past, present and future of VNA is made possible by people just like you, who see the need and step forward to honor elders in our community, helping them to age with dignity. Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Katherine
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