Ready meal advice

[Lippy1234]

Hi, I’m new on here. My DM is 68 and has advanced Alzheimer’s, we’ve been agreed a care package for her. A call in the morning to help with medication, make her breakfast and make a sandwich for lunch. She’ll also receive an early evening call when the carer will heat up a ready meal. The plan is I’m going to do an up line shop for her once a week and be at her house when it arrived to put it all away. So my question is has anyone got any recommendation for supermarkets that do nice ready meals. My Mum likes healthy food, I don’t think she like meals such as cottage pie. I’m also trying to find meals that are not high in salt as she has high blood pressure.
The last year or so have been very difficult so I’m hoping the care package will help at least for a few months before we start looking at alternative accommodation for her.

£4.50 is really good value, the social worker sort of put me off and made it sound expensive. I think to have Appetito I also had something called a prepaid care card and would source my own carers. The social worker could see I was at the end of my tether and suggested I go for a council managed budget where they do all the organising. That’s definitely something to think about if the ready meals don’t work out.

Orangeblossom78 What was the company you mentioned earlier that deliver and put away ready meals? Thank you.

I think it was Wiltshire farm foods that deliver and put away.
Check if meals on wheels is available in her area.
Try different suppliers to see which she likes (even Iceland do ready meals)

Hi Wiltshire farm foods put it away in the freezer and can use an access code to get it if needed. So the warden at dad's place told me.

I guess others might do it as well though if you ask.

Hi there. M&S have some good ones. My aunt is currently having them for lunch.

I assume you've got a key safe in place? Ocado will deliver and put away, as will Oakleaf/Wiltshire. Are there meals on wheels locally too - some are brilliant, definitely worth a try.

And if she likes her food then before she goes into care ask if you can have lunch there before deciding (especially if it's self-funded) - gives you a really good insight in to the atmosphere and decent grub makes a massive difference to quality of life.

I order Wiltshire Farm Foods for 93yo MIL. Not cheap, but she does enjoy them, and the service is always excellent.
I can order as later as Sunday afternoon for a Monday delivery, the driver pops then in the freezer, and puts any that are already in the freezer to the top, so they get used first.
Straight forward instructions.

I like the sound of the driver putting the food in the freezer but I think my DM is past that stage now as it’s difficult enough just to let us relatives into her home. I did the first home supermarket delivery at the weekend and it went well.
I’m feeling very overwhelmed with it all today and may start a new thread later.

Lippy I have just heard today my dad has been given the same care package as your mum. Two half hour visits am and pm

Not sure if your mum goes out to anything during the week with a courier or something as the delivery people can use a key safe to go in and put it away then. If that is an option. It seems they have set delivery days in some places for dad's area it is Friday

We are just waiting for they say, a care company to pick up the contract before it can start. Hopefully it will get easier with time.

Carer not courier!

Every time I cooked dinner I made a bit extra and froze it. My mother ate very little so that way I knew she was eating a well balanced meal with no additives. I also did that with my home made soup and she was given that with her lunchtime sandwich. It really was no trouble.

That wouldn't work with me as I live 700 miles away! (cooking food) also cooking for DC and DH as well would be too much. A nice thought though. Think my family who live closer might pick up some M & S meals for him perhaps to start with

It's got to be better than the tins of stuff he is randomly eating at present!

lippy so sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. It’s really tough, and anything that makes life easier works.
We found that mils tastes changed with dementia- would eat things she would not consider before.
Come and join the cockroach thread for gin and sympathy

I had meals on wheels for my Nan for a bit - I did have to pay for them but like someone else said it's less than a fiver a day and they plate it up if that's what you ask them to do and also if something were amiss with your mum they report it and it gets fed back to next of kin. Ours was run out of the local day centre so maybe if you were to ring them they could give you more information.

I know how stressful even one extra phone call can be when you're overwhelmed so feel free to PM me and I would happily call and find out details for your area if that's helpful (even though I know I'm a random on the Internet!)

Congratulations on getting the care package approved that's a massive step!

Your post struck a chord Lippy as a few months ago I (and my mum) reached the end of the road which you are just embarking on. It’s exhausting and all-consuming and you must look after yourself as well as your mum.
You may find it’s necessary to manage your expectations downwards. I used to worry about mum not having proper nutrition but in the end it is more important to get calories into them - mum was a complete health freak in “real life” but in her last few months at home I couldn’t get her even to contemplate a garden pea! - she lived on Sainsbury’s ready meals (the same one every day!) and Mr. Kipling angel slices. It’s making me a bit tearful thinking of the lengths I used to go to trying to get her to eat something healthier, all to no avail. Needless to say, once she was admitted to a care home she took to eating everything put in front of her.

I’m sure you will know about this already, but as well as this site I found the Alzheimer’s Society forum a mine of information about every aspect of dementia.

Try and have some small bits in too. When I worked as a carer often people would refuse meals but could be tempted into say scrambled eggs or a bit of fresh soup (the tub type), a small salad etc people with Alzheimer's often want sweet food even if they didn't like it previously so rice pudding, sponge and custard. Snack stuff too. Obviously you want to keep it healthy but then Calories are definitely the most important thing
Stuff like breakfast cereal that's fortified, if they like that, maybe with a banana on top or some tinned peaches with custard were a big hit!
Frozen jacket potatoes are pretty good too as you can make them quickly

Oh and the bags of steam frozen veg / you can add them on the side to a ready meal then

Try the Sainsburys My Goodness and Be Good To Yourself ranges?

I would recommend Cook as they do deluveties and the food is excellent. I would second an earlier poster's suggestion of individual bags of mixed vegetables for microwaving.

Tesco are fantastic for regular orders and you can pay for up front yearly delivery which allows you to pick any slot and have a number of deliveries.
The delivery staff will unpack for you too if registered with them for the service.
Their food options are good and their Finest range has a lot of choice

Thank you all so much for your lovely messages, I’m overwhelmed, I’ll read them all again properly in a bit.
My Mum’s calls have been increased to 3 calls a day because I noticed she was getting hungry between visits and I felt the gap was too long for her to be most often on her own.

I really recommend Cook.

MrsFezziwig
I think we share the same Mum! My former health freak Mum is now an Angel cake addict (the ones that have 2 mini cake slices in the pack)!

MrsFezziwig
How long did your Mum have home care before she went in the care home?

Orangeblossom78
I hope the care package works out well for you. It sounds like we are at similar stages in the system.