For people living with dementia, eating a cooked meal can be the one time where feelings of familiarity, order and comfort is experienced in their day. Therefore, making this time relaxing and simple is really important. Meals-on-wheels is a delivery service that brings meals to your home. It is an excellent service for the elderly that require additional help in buying and cooking their meals. Meals come prepared and ready to eat as soon as they are delivered, making meal time joyful for those living with dementia. Here is a list of the best meals-on-wheels services in the UK and the USA.
UK
Apetito
Apetito is proud to give great food produced by dietitians and chefs to organisations for both the young and elderly. They freeze their food, so it tastes better for longer. Apetito has an excellent delivery service, with meals being served hot and ready to eat, providing a more accessible and more comfortable service than home cooking from scratch.
They have various options tailored to everyone ranging from vegetarian meals to dysphagia-friendly meals. The service is available around lunchtime, but if needed, they can deliver a cold tea-time pack for the evening, including a sandwich, cake and a piece of fruit.
Oakhouse Foods
Oakhouse Foods provides a high-quality frozen meal delivery service that gives people the flexibility to eat whatever and whenever they want. There are nearly 400 different types of recipes to choose from, with a range of dishes coming in all different sizes.
The services include unique packs tailored to individual needs. Their Mini-Meals are customer favourites in smaller portions, Easy Order Packs make cooking easier and quicker, their Best Sellers pack consists of the most popular options, and they also have special diet packs, including vegetarian or gluten-free packs.
Oakhouse Foods offers a more comfortable service than traditional portable meals on wheels services with a mission of making life easier.
Parsley Box
Parsley Box is a welcoming and friendly delivery service, including a wide selection of high-quality meals, sides and desserts. They are made from the finest ingredients and are ready to eat straight after delivery, making food taste better without worrying about spending time cooking. The meals are slow-cooked and stored in a cupboard without a fridge or a freezer and are microwavable so that people can enjoy food from anywhere. They also have a caring customer service team, operating between Monday - Saturday, that treats their customers like family, looking after them and ensuring everything is up to their standards.
ICare Cuisine
ICare Cuisine has a reputation for providing excellent quality, value, and service for over 20 years in the country's health and social care services. They deliver delicious hot, tasting meals to people’s doors at lunchtime and have a range of recipes to suit their tastes. They provide meals specifically tailored to special diets so the individual wouldn’t miss out if they have dietary requirements. Its service goes beyond home meal delivery. It has helped thousands of older adults and is targeted at taking care of the individual as a person, allowing them to stay independent in the community.
Fair Close Centre
The Fair Close Centre enriches the lives of people over 65 in North Hampshire and West Berkshire. Their centre, opened in 1967 by the Queen Mother, is a social hub where older people can meet new people and spend time with friends.
Running for over 54 years, The Fair Close Centre team is made up of volunteers and staff who provide meals on wheels and serve food in their restaurant. The centre offers food, friendship and fun for their members, to ensure they feel connected and involved in a caring community.
USA
Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is dedicated to addressing the issue of loneliness and hunger in the elderly. It supports more than 5,000 community-based programs in America. It has more than two million staff and volunteers working across the board to deliver meals and provide friendly visits and safety checks that benefit and allow the elderly of America to live more enriching and independent lives. It aims to empower its member programs to strengthen and build their communities to bring nutrition and care and change their lives. Meals on Wheels America provides a variety of services in funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy.
Meals on Wheels People
Meals on Wheels People has been serving delicious and nutritional meals for older adults for over 50 decades. Its vision is that no senior will be hungry or experience social isolation. They have centres in Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties, with some centres having ethnic menus using sustainable ingredients. They have a large community of over 5,000 volunteers who help out annually by delivering meals to the elderly by making friendly visits. They produce 7,300 nutritious meals for four days weekly delivered to centres at lunchtime or sent out as meals on wheels delivery service for home delivery to anyone aged 60 or over.
Citymeals on Wheels
Citymeals on Wheels has been serving seniors in New York since 1981. It provides weekend, holiday and emergency nourishing meals to the elderly community in all five boroughs in the city and ensures that they are fully fed and supported. Additionally, Citymeals on Wheels provides companionship and care to those who need it most through special initiatives run by a team of volunteers who are motivated to change lives and the New York community for the better.
Snap Kitchen
Snap Kitchen prides itself on donating over 3 million meals from the East to West coasts since 2010. It has been delivering to a range of customers, including individuals like teachers, first responders, frontline workers, and organisations like nonprofits. Its customers save over 4 hours doing daily household chores like shopping, cooking and cleaning, providing them with additional time to spend on alternative activities. Snap Kitchen’s ingredients are naturally sourced and containing zero preservatives, artificial sweeteners, hormones and other harmful ingredients, so the person can ensure that the food they eat is always nutritious and healthy.
Freshly
Freshly meals are designed for individuals to be enjoyed in one sitting and ready to eat in 3 minutes. They are fully prepared and delivered in the best conditions with various meal options catering to everybody and their requirements, including convenience and nutrition. Freshly provides a comfortable and favourable service by preparing everything, including planning, cooking, and cleaning, so there is no worry about preparation. Using Freshly’s prepared meals saves time and money so that when individuals choose their meal and have it delivered fresh, all they have to do is heat it and eat it.
Meals on Wheels Chicago
Meals on Wheels Chicago help make sure individuals and seniors living with disabilities living in Chicago have access to nutritious meals, as well as maximising their quality of life and independence. They raise awareness and funds to make sure individuals and seniors with disabilities have the resources to maintain quality of life while staying independent in their own homes.
The UK and the USA have a variety of services to choose from. Whether you are looking for a quick meal to eat in a few minutes or something more elaborate, you can find one that is perfect for you. Eating a nicely prepared meal can bring satisfaction and enjoyment to those living with dementia.
We bring joy to people living with Dementia
Here at Relish, we are all about finding ways to improve wellbeing for people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. We develop products and activities to engage and bring connections to those with dementia and their caregivers. To learn more about dementia and to see our dementia products visit our website.
