Getting older can make many everyday tasks like cooking more of a chore. Poor mobility, eyesight and memory can all impact your ability and desire to cook from scratch, which can lead to poorer dietary choices and even malnutrition. Both of which can impact your overall health and well-being especially if you have existing health conditions.
Fortunately, meal delivery services for the elderly offer the ideal solution by providing you with nutritious, tasty and convenient meals that can often be cooked in just a few minutes in the microwave. But with so many meal delivery providers on the market, how do you which is best for you?
Below, we explain more about meal delivery services and the benefits they can bring and share five of the best meal delivery services for elderly people in the UK.
What are meal delivery services?
As the name suggests, meal delivery services deliver ready-made meals to your door for you to enjoy. Numerous types of meal delivery services are available, from hot meals on wheels to frozen or store cupboard meals that only need heating for a few minutes in the microwave before serving.
Meal delivery services can provide elderly people with nutritious, tasty meals, ensuring you continue to eat well, without having the hassle of having to shop, prepare and cook for yourself.
Most meal delivery services often have a wide variety of meals, enabling you to choose from familiar favourites or try new flavours. Plus, they can usually cater for those with specific dietary requirements, such as vegetarians or people following a certain diet because of a health condition.
Why use a home meal delivery service?
Old age can cause impaired vision and mobility, both of which can affect your ability to cook safely. In addition, you may just find you no longer have the energy to cook from scratch, or that living alone means you don’t see the point of cooking for yourself.
All of these factors can cause elderly people to turn to less healthy food options like highly processed easily accessible foods, such as biscuits or salty snacks which can exacerbate certain health conditions, like high cholesterol and diabetes. Or to stop eating properly, which can lead to malnutrition and weaken the immune system making elderly people more susceptible to frequent illnesses.
Meal delivery services provide a simple solution by providing hassle-free, tasty and nutritious meals that can support your health.
What are the benefits of using meal delivery services?
Meal delivery services can offer elderly people numerous benefits, including:
- Nutritionally balanced meals that prevent malnutrition and ensure you continue to enjoy a well-balanced diet.
- Convenience as there is no need to go shopping, prepare and cook your food from scratch.
- Being cost-effective for people who find themselves shopping for food that then goes uneaten as they don’t feel up to cooking.
- Helping to reduce your stress levels by ensuring you have one less thing to think about.
- Being quick to cook, with most meals microwavable in just a few minutes.
- Reducing waste as each meal is carefully pre-portioned for one to ensure you don’t throw food away unnecessarily.
- Offering a variety of different foods and giving you the chance to try new meals.
- Catering to a wide range of dietary requirements, so that no matter what your needs, you can find meals that are suitable.
Are there any limitations to using meal delivery services?
Although meal delivery services for elderly people offer numerous benefits, it’s also important to consider their limitations when deciding if they are right for you.
Some of the most common reasons stop using meal delivery services include:
- Cost – meal delivery services can be expensive if you are using them for multiple meals per day, every day of the week.
- Choice – you are limited to choosing from the options they have available, and while many providers try to ensure their menus offer new options, you may find the choices repetitive after a time.
- Meals can often only be delivered on set days and times – this can mean you can run out if you don’t plan ahead.
- Can contribute to feelings of isolation – although shopping for food can be a chore, it does give some elderly people a chance to interact with others, from other people out doing their shopping to the cashier at the till. Depending on the meal delivery service you choose, interaction may be limited which can lead to increased feelings of isolation.
What are the best meal delivery services for the elderly?
If you feel that you or a loved one could benefit from meal delivery services, it’s important to do some research and find out which offers you the best overall service.
Finding the best meal delivery service will depend on many factors from your dietary requirements and preferences to costs and how often you need meal delivering.
However, to help you start the search for the best meal delivery service for you or your loved one, we’ve shared five of our favourites below:
Parsley Box
Parsley Box offers cupboard-stored meals that are ready to eat within minutes, so they are the perfect choice for those with limited fridge or freezer space. Their unique process involves slow cooking high quality ingredients before vacuum packing them to lock in flavour and nutrients.
As well as offering a wide selection of meals, sides and desserts, they can cater for a range of dietary requirements.
Delivery is super speedy and free on orders over £35, plus they have a UK-based customer service team who are available Monday to Saturday to assist with any queries or issues you have.
Wiltshire Farm Foods
Established in 1991, Wiltshire Farm Foods are perhaps one of the best-known meal delivery services in the UK, and for good reason. As well as offering over 340 different meals and desserts that can be quickly cooked at home in the microwave or oven, they have seasonal menu choices, so there is no chance of getting fed up with the selection available. The meals are available in different sizes too, including mini, standard and hearty, so all appetites are catered for.
Wiltshire Farm Foods have also built a reputation for their friendly customer service with delivery drivers who become a friendly face stopping for a chat or to help customers pack away their meals.
Orders can be placed over the phone or online, and free delivery is available across the UK.
I Care Cuisine
I Care Cuisine has a reputation for delivering great value and high-quality meals made using the finest quality ingredients. Their selection ranges from hot and frozen main meals and desserts to teatime sandwiches, so you can pretty much order everything you need to always have nutritious food options on hand.
As well as catering to a range of dietary requirements, they also offer a good selection of Caribbean and Asian food choices, so no matter what your preferences, you’ll find tasty meals perfect for you.
In addition to delivering high-quality foods, I Care Cuisine also pride themselves on providing a caring and compassionate service. As a result, all of their staff are fully accredited and can help you make meal choices, keep an eye on your well-being and provide a familiar face to chat to when dropping off your meals.
Oakhouse Foods
Oakhouse Foods first started out as Home Farm Foods in 1994, so have been providing quality meals to people’s doors for three decades. Their meals use the finest quality ingredients and are flash frozen to lock in all of their goodness and flavour, so you can enjoy the taste of homecooked food while getting the convenience of a ready meal.
As well as offering over 350 different meal options they also offer mini meals, soups and light meals perfect for those with smaller appetites. While their pureed, soft and bite-sized meals and moist meals are ideal for those who may have difficulty eating due to certain health conditions.
Orders can be placed online, over the phone or using their physical order form, which is also available in large print or as a free audio brochure for those with deteriorating eyesight.
Apetito
Apetito is one of the few meal delivery services that offer hot meals on wheels delivered to your door seven days a week, 365 days a year. Launched over 60 years ago, they have been playing a key role in helping society’s most vulnerable get the nutritional support needed to remain as healthy as possible.
Working in collaboration with local councils and Wiltshire Farm Foods, they offer around 200 different meal choices, including breakfasts, main meals, desserts and finger foods. They are also able to cater to different dietary needs with low salt, low sugar and reduced sugar options readily available.
Trusted home care from Trinity
If you are finding it harder to live independently at home, why not consider seeking the professional support of Trinity Homecare? For the past 25 years, we have provided the highest standards of care in the comfort of people’s own homes, ensuring your needs are fully taken care of so you can continue to live a rich and fulfilling life.
Trinity Homecare is a fully managed care agency with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, placing Trinity amongst the top 4% of all nationwide care companies in England. With this in mind, you can rest assured that your loved one will receive the highest standard of care and specialist support.
If you have any questions about arranging home care, simply get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable care team.
Arranging nationwide home care with Trinity is straightforward.
Simply follow these five steps:
- Call our care team
- Undergo a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your care needs and arrange a care assessment
- After the assessment, a plan of care is created
- A well-suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time
