SOCIAL POLICY PROGRAMS
Technology and innovations have always taken place as time goes on and this world advances. Some technologies are broad ranged and others are specific to a certain population. The advancement that will be discussed in this post is Instacart delivery. Shopping online and getting it delivered to your house has been in market from a very long time, however, it was not until the pandemic when Instacart came into action and helped out so many families regardless of how risky the situation was for the young workers. Since then, Instacart has been a luxury, which many use however most of the people have returned to getting out and doing their own groceries. When we think about the aging adults, everything can wait except food. Food is something we intake every single day and there is no way out. Having the ease to get groceries delivered to your own home for the aging adults is an emerging trend that has made the lives of older adults a lot easier. Carrying and lifting heavy objects from the car to their homes is a difficult task for the older people, by having someone else do that and help you deliver it inside your doorstep is a big step towards advancement and improvement.
Having said that, Instacart is advancing in their services and aiming to provide more for the older population. Instacart is targeting food insecurities and aiming to allow all families and the elderly to have access to complete nutritional foods. Instacart is working on a senior program in which they plan to start addressing some of the major barriers that seniors are facing in accessing healthy food. They plan to partner with Alignment health, a Medicare Advantage company, and payment technology firm InComm Payments, to work towards this goal beginning this year. Starting in 2024, Instacart will allow its senior customers to use their supplemental health benefit cards to pay for its grocery fee services. Benefits will extend to Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicaid recipients, and seniors participating in other eligible programs. Qualifying seniors will be able to use money from an applicable plan to pay for their groceries, over-the-counter medications, and wellness essentials, along with delivery, through Instacart. A partnership with InComm Payments is making this possible (Mazenko, 2023).
The only thing that can be seen from this emerging trend is goodness and ease for the aging population. In my opinion I do not see any major downside to this because everything is being accessed through benefits, which they were receiving previously. Even if new benefits are claimed the government will fund all of these. As a service provider, it would be beneficial for me to see seniors getting proper nutritious food and not struggle to afford the basic needs of life. Getting food and medication at your fingertips will make life so much easier and all of this is nothing but rewarding to see as a caregiver and a service provider.
Mazenko, T. (2023, November 2). Instacart to help older adults address food insecurity. Mazenko Law Firm. https://mazenkolaw.com/instacart-to-help-older-adults-address-food-insecurity/
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