Meals on Wheels - do they cater for really fussy eaters? Or is it 'one size fits all'? Eg, can you say no to spicy food?

[Fauve]

My dad is deteriorating and may not be eating enough. He'd certainly benefit from Meals on Wheels, but would be upset if he was given food he couldn't eat, and he's really fussy. He won't have garlic, onions or anything remotely spicy: everything has to be extremely plain and simple.
Is there any element of choice in Meals on Wheels? Can you specify 'very plain food only'?

I think you can do a degree since not all foods are suitable for everyone (e.g diabetics or allergy sufferers) so if he won't eat spag bol (for example) he might like the vegetarian option, but its possible some days they won't be able to accomodate him.

Does that help? Best thing I can suggest would be to ring the MOW people and ask

My gran has a carer who comes in & deals with her meals every day. It's not like meals on wheels as they prepare her food from her own fridge. She may have a baked potato or rice & chicken, just whatever she wants. And they prepare a sandwich for her for later.

I think the company is called HomeStart, though I am in NI but I am sure they will have these kind of services throughout.

they normall send meal cards round and you do have a couple of choices. I know my nan used to have things like shephards pie and fish and mashed potato. Will have a look and see if i canfind anything online for you.

Thanks, FFF2, that would sound more useful for my dad. NutterlyUts, my dad would never, in a million years, eat spag bol or indeed spag, in any form, ever.

Thanks, PPW. The other thing is that he might prefer MOW in a way, because it would mean a variety of people calling in, rather than one person whom he might not like, or he might find intrusive. He's not an easy customer, by any means

have a look here , these are all frozen that you just re-heat.

I was just going to add PPW's link. My father uses them and they do all sorts of meals from the extremely plain and simple British to Italian/Chinese/Indian etc. You can heat them in the microwave or the oven. Dad thinks they are very good.

if you goggle meals on wheels it will come up with all the different areas and it will give you more information about what is offered.

I think PPW's link is probably the way to go, purely as you can pick his favourite meals and stockpile them, rather then risk the options of MOW..

they do look nice, do you think they would deliver to a stressed mum that doesnt have time to cook??

Thanks, but he wouldn't cook them himself, that's the problem! I will explore MOW more if I can find them in his area. Part of the point also is to have caring-type people visiting every day. From other areas, it does look like MOW would be just about flexible enough. EG if he found a dish he liked, he actually wouldn't mind having that more than once a week.

Meals on Wheels in some areas deliver food frozen - so your dad would need to arrange for a carer to be there at lunch time to heat it up for him.

Oh, they're called 'community meals' in his area!

They should do them for stressed mummies, shouldn't they? Actually in the post-natal period, they really should.

Oh no, that wouldn't be so good, Lilymaid

I've just checked on my area - no hot meals supplied at all now and you have to arrange for frozen meals from Wiltshire (social services can supply small freezer and microwave). With the Wiltshire meals it really is only a matter of heating and plating them. My father never ever cooked until my mother became ill - not the thing that men of his generation would feel they should do!

My dad has been a good cook in his time, but he just won't bother now, not even to heat something up That's why he needs the extra input of care. His local area do seem to do hot meals via the WRVS as far as I can tell from their very un-Plain English website. He's having a health visitor for the elderly to see him this week so I hope they will recommend him for MOW. Very difficult for me to manage at a distance.

My Nana and Grandad get the Wiltshire meals, my Nana has all the fancy stuff and my Grandad has plain stuff and mainly puddings.They are actually not bad for micro meals(we all tasted them when they first started getting them!)

has he had a social worker assessment? if not this would be a good idea,

i work in the community and i would vote for whiltshire foods, they are brill, if he wouldnt heat them up himself a carer could do a lunch visit and whilst it is heating in microvave she/he cold make him a cuppa and a sandwich for later for tea?

does he have carers for anthing else? of does he manage other things

Thanks - the first thing will be this visit from a health visitor on Tues, then maybe a social worker assessment, as you say. He won't have a microwave in the house!

He doesn't have a carer for anything else, but he may be just reaching the stage where he needs one. He doesn't seem to be getting round to shaving except for special occasions. He is VERY staunchly independent, and very wary of The State and its representatives, and generally difficult...but hopefully the HV will persuade him to accept some kind of help.

It is fine to heat the Wiltshire meals in an ordinary oven - my father doesn't have a microwave (we did think of buying him one but he won't have anything Japanese etc)

Thanks again, Lilymaid - I'll certainly bear the Wiltshire meals in mind when I see him this week. Lots of options - just hope he accepts some of them!

I feel th e Wilshire meals are just like the Micro Meals you get in Asda/Tesco, they all can be oven cooked but it is a little more time consuming in the oven.
Also if he does have carers you will need to keep an eye on the time, as lunch will possibly be 1/2 hour call and the meals take 35 mins in oven. As a carer i wouldnt have a problem but i know some would x