Anyone else have an elderly parent living alone who is managing dinner on their own?

Meals on wheels?

Meals On Wheels are everywhere. My 92 yr old mother lives in a small town and her meals are very good and well balance.

LMRLMR, the microwave was my parent's go to for meals. Mom grocery list had a lot of frozen meals [yes, I know high in sodium] but my folks were already in their 90's. And a lot of sweets because at their age their taste buds were limited but they could still enjoy sweet products.

Therefore, if the parent has no diet limits, such as sugar, and is able to manage the microwave [simple ones are the best] then frozen prepared meals are handy to have around.

One major problem, trying to read the tiny tiny print for the directions on the frozen meals. I have to keep a magnifying glass on my kitchen counter.

A friend used to cook for several elderly people in her neighborhood. She cooked huge amounts and delivered to each family. It was always what was on her own menu. You might find someone near him who does this.

My cousin and his wife have a personal chef who comes to their house and cooks and freezes three weeks' worth of meals at a time. It's not as hoity-toity as it sounds, but all their dinners are done that way, and my cousin, who can't cook for anything, just heats them up and they're good to go.

i live in Europe & my parents in USA, so fully understand this challenge. Lots of microwave dinners- there are really tasty ones out there. And plenty of favorite fruit. Mom (dementia) eats 4 apples a day. Plenty of raw carrots & mini tomatoes. Lots of favorite spices (taste disappears). Flavors for water (to keep dad drinking enuf fluids). I used to order everything on line for them. And taught dad how to do that - he is very proud of this new skill & w ‘order again’ websites it’s pretty easy even at 93 (!!) .
most important- get what he loves to eat!

My mother was accustomed to eating fresh, whole foods with minimal sauces, cheese, etc. so meals on wheels did not work. We found a local franchise of "Chefsforseniors.com" and it was fantastic. Chef buys the groceries, comes in to cook then puts 7 meals in the freezer for the senior to heat 'n eat. Helped keep Mom at home for another year.

As others have said, alot depends on his skill using microwave. My mom lost that ability years ago. Used the thing to store papers in. I tried meals on wheels. The food was good, but bland. Mom had to add salt or ketchup to many things. If dementia is at play with your dad, things could backfire. As mom's dementia worsened I would come over her house to find she had a stack of those meals uneaten in the refrigerator. Or on the floor for the dogs to eat. Also, I discovered that at some point her meals were being delivered at 9:30 in morning! So even if meal was hot at the time it wasn't hot when she was ready for dinner. And she couldn't microwave it so it just stayed in fridge. At some point meals on wheels worked as an early "lunch" and then mom could find a snack/cereal/nutrition drink for "dinner" on her own. But as her dementia worsened mom needed someone there to make sure she was actually eating and drinking. I hope you find something that works for your dad.

Depending on where your parents are, Meals on wheels may not be available. I found the county office of the aging and nutrition services has a similar program for my mom. She ended up needing a caregiver and help with cutting up her food too. As others have said, you need to look at your parent’s functional ability.

My mom absolutely loves Mom's Meals.
.The meals are high quality and delicious.
They are selected according to my mom's dietary restrictions. Her primary is contacted for info before her meals are sent. They are very elder friendly and mom is able to order her own meals by phone.

We had looked into Meal on Wheels but there is no flexibility or choices. A lot of the meals served were foods mom did not or could not eat.