COA Meals & More

How we took meal delivery to the next level.

Each year, Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio provides more than a million home delivered meals to older adults and offers congregate meal services across five counties in and around Cincinnati. The Home Delivered Meal and Congregate Meal programs are designed to assist older adults in meeting their nutritional and social needs.

The challenge

COA needed to modernize and expand its meal delivery offerings due to 60+ population growth, the pandemic, record levels of inflation, and significant competition.

The insight

Development of new packaging for home delivered meals in a comprehensive system, supported by a partnership summit to involve other entities.

The deliverable

Explored packaging redesign and system implementation through co-creation sessions with older adults, focusing on home-bound and limited mobility experiences.

Expertise.

Interviewing and observational research
Systems mapping
Persona development
Workshop facilitation
Packaging design

"Older adults are just as entitled to having choices as somebody who is able to get into the grocery store and make their own choices."

—

Care Manager

problem

COA recognized their need for modernization.

With COA starting the process of evaluating and issuing new contracts for the Home Delivered Meal and Congregate Meal Programs, it was the perfect time to think more about how COA can address these changes and develop interventions and new partnerships that meet their client’s needs.

Approach

Getting to know the meal program.

In addition to secondary research, the team conducted a total of 29 interviews, toured the Meals on Wheels facility, rode along with a meal delivery driver, and conducted a home delivered meal taste test. Research findings were analyzed and translated into a comprehensive journey map. They identified five unique opportunity areas: social isolation and wellness, packaging improvements, partnerships, database and systems, and meal variety and personalization.

APPROAch

Rebuilding the meal service.

As the team began to prototype new meal kit solutions, they called on interviewees once more to participate in focus groups. Older adults tested redesigned packaging and narrated their experiences, as they had done during in-home observations. These interactions brought further insight to the Live Well team about legibility, visual contrast, instructional design, and manual manipulation of the package.

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OUTCOME

Customization drives pride and autonomy.

Meals & More is a service system for home delivered and congregate meals. This program encompasses the needs of older adults living alone, and helps identify areas where they can be better served in their health and wellness journey. By implementing this system, COA can provide education, variety, and a voice where older adults find empowerment in caring for their health through their meals.

The hybrid service program focuses on creating personalized plans that better meet the needs of older adults, which are likely to change over time as they age. Meals & More gives its customers the gift of choice, resulting in a greater sense of self-sufficiency and a safer, healthier routine.