It is important that Water on Wheels be perceived as a necessary or life sustaining service in order to get support. Awareness of this service must be a priority in order to get donors and volunteers. Multiple forms of media including T.V., print, and radio could be utilized to accomplish this. A good website would need to be developed including testimonials, volunteer and donor forms, and loaded with images of the many different types of people this program serves. Brochures in various languages would need to be created and distributed in places that service elderly and low-income individuals. Water on Wheels would need to develop positioning, imagery and tone of voice that emotionally touches people and communicates the dire need
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Due to the seriousness of the effects of dehydration, being proactive is of great public health importance. Water on Wheels can improve fluid intake in the elderly and provide them information about dehydration. It can also result in greater care of elderly people as volunteers can get an idea of how much water they are consuming and detect possible signs of dehydration. Early detection of dehydration can decrease hospitalization and illnesses caused by dehydration such as urinary tract infections. By providing just one more support, an elderly person who receives services from Meals on Wheels and Water on Wheels has an increased chance for self-sufficiency and aging in place. In a recent study by Ward & Cohen (2015), it was found that medication adherence rates were better when Meals on Wheels volunteers worked with pharmacists to encourage clients to take their medication. If they were able get elderly people to take prescription medications on a regular basis, then it is likely that volunteers could also successfully encourage them to drink more fluids. Due to the growing number of elderly people, more research needs to be done to see how Meals on Wheels as well as other service providers can do more to help elderly individuals live longer and healthier lives as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Working together allows for organizations to reach more individuals and provide better service as they share resources and expand their capabilities to help each other do a better job and overcome any
Due to the seriousness of the effects of dehydration, being proactive is of great public health importance. Water on Wheels can improve fluid intake in the elderly and provide them information about dehydration. It can also result in greater care of elderly people as volunteers can get an idea of how much water they are consuming and detect possible signs of dehydration. Early detection of dehydration can decrease hospitalization and illnesses caused by dehydration such as urinary tract infections. By providing just one more support, an elderly person who receives services from Meals on Wheels and Water on Wheels has an increased chance for self-sufficiency and aging in place. In a recent study by Ward & Cohen (2015), it was found that medication adherence rates were better when Meals on Wheels volunteers worked with pharmacists to encourage clients to take their medication. If they were able get elderly people to take prescription medications on a regular basis, then it is likely that volunteers could also successfully encourage them to drink more fluids. Due to the growing number of elderly people, more research needs to be done to see how Meals on Wheels as well as other service providers can do more to help elderly individuals live longer and healthier lives as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. Working together allows for organizations to reach more individuals and provide better service as they share resources and expand their capabilities to help each other do a better job and overcome any