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Rushing2 Asked November 2019

My mother is in hospice care at home. Dad can not cook and they are mostly living on fast food. Any suggestions for meal delivery?

I’ve tried Meals On Wheels, Friendship Trays, etc. they live on the county line between 2 counties so no service delivers there plus they don’t have capacity. grub Hub, Uber Eats, Door Dash also deliver only fast food. I’m 40 miles away, so daily food delivery is nearly impossible. Any suggestions?

Sunnygirl1 Nov 2019
Is your dad able to put frozen foods into oven or micowave and serve? If so, you or volunteers could prepare casseroles, dishes with instructions on how to heat up and he has one set aside for dinner each night. Easy foods for breakfast and lunch. If your dad is not able to do this, I'd consider if the home setting is right for them.

cwillie Nov 2019
I'm with Sunny, considering the overwhelming options of heat and serve foods available in the average supermarket I question how a man who can't put a meal together can provide the level of care your mother needs.
Maybe planning and initiation are part of the problem, especially in a man unused/unwilling to making those kinds of domestic decisions. Perhaps stocking the fridge, freezer and pantry and then providing a daily menu plan based on available items would help.

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TekkieChikk Nov 2019
Grocery store deli counters should have freshly prepared food.... whole rotisserie chickens, for example, at our local BiLo are $7.99 for a nice sized bird. Couple that with a container of Bob Evans microwaveable mashed potatoes, a jar of Heinz gravy, and they've got a meal for a couple days. And it's as close to home cooking as you can get without making it yourself.

And frozen dinners are pretty darn good. Sure, eating "healthy" might be ideal, but in their situation it seems as if just getting fed is the priority.

Samsung137 Nov 2019
If their finances can handle it, hire an aid who can come in 3 times a week for several hours and cook meals for them. On days the aid is there, they can eat a fresh meal and leftovers on the days she isnt. 3 visits, 3 times per week should run about $1K per month. The aid can also do laundry, tidy the house and make sure they are safe. Good luck to you.

Grandma1954 Nov 2019
Have you talked to the Social Worker from Hospice? They may have some ideas.
I know the Hospice where I volunteer often asks volunteers to make meals for families. the meals are made, frozen and then brought to the family.
Another option, when you are making meals make extra and portion it and freeze. The next time you visit you could bring a few weeks worth of meals.
Soups, stew, lasagna all freeze well.
Get in a few packages of frozen fish. They cook fast and are easy to make in a toaster oven or microwave. Paired with some frozen veggies it is a fast easy meal.
There are some pretty good frozen meals that would be a step above the fast food.
Jannner Nov 2019
Did this for years for my mother. We just kept her freezer full and replenished when we went. They don’t eat much at that age and now with instacart for groceries it would be even easier.

The council for aging gave me a list of meal services but my difficult mother refused to eat any of them.
emanes Nov 2019
My mom loved Schwan's. The food was good, easy to prepare, and reasonably priced.

AlvaDeer Nov 2019
How is their freezer as in "how big". Any friends or way to make a food train delivery? I usually cook for myself by making up a big batch of meatballs, whatever it is I am into at the time, and freezing batches in yogurt containers.If Mom is on hospice now what are the plans for Dad, who cannot cook after? It may be time for entering care. Food is one of the basics and at the point it can't be provided it just isn't OK to be in home without help. So sorry. So hard to be so far away.

RayLinStephens Nov 2019
You can bring a weeks worth of meals when you visit. You can buy disposable trays to make "TV Dinners" that are healthy and appealing.

When I lived in a totally rural area, my neighbor was able to get meals on wheels but they only came once a week. They brought her a 7-day supply of everything, including small cartons of milk.

I believe they brought to her 7 lunches & 7 dinners - I think she was expected to provide her own breakfast - but I can't remember now.

Takincare Nov 2019
If you visit once a week or so invest in a seal a meal type of vacuum sealer. This will allow you to seal and freeze individual meals for them by cooking a bit extra when doing for your family. The process of vacuum sealing keeps items from freezer burn and let's them store more in their freezer because it's in packages instead of containers. Quick tip for items such as lasagna, prefreeze portions before sealing so it doesn't lose it's shape. Great for soups and stews too. This way they still have options of what's for lunch or dinner but you know it's a healthier choice instead of fast food or sodium laden tv dinners. Mark the bags with permanent marker so they know at a glance what it contains. Lactose free milk has a much longer shelf life than regular milk giving you more time to replace it for them. Instant oatmeal or cereal for breakfast. Not sure if it's available in their area, but their local walmart may deliver to their home for access to fresh fruits and veggies.
Isthisrealyreal Nov 2019
You can also freeze milk in serving sizes. It needs to be completely thawed out before using or it has an odd texture. I do it all the time because I don't want to pay twice as much for half the milk.
KELLYBRED Nov 2019
My dad is approved for meals on wheels thur Area Againg, He unfortunately did not like them, someone suggested Moms Meals & he joys the food, they are delivered monthly can be frozen until needed then put in microwave. They call each month & review& can chance meals. Best of luck

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