For many seniors who require ongoing medical care, choosing to remain in their homes and maintain their independence are vital decisions. Though some will benefit greatly from moving to an assisted living community or more involved care centers, the desire to live on one’s own terms can be understood at any age.
However, as we age, many can struggle with maintaining the same level of autonomy that we did in our younger and middle-aged years. For many who may experience a decline in physical strength or motor functions, simple tasks like shopping for groceries and cooking meals from scratch require far more effort.
Similarly, many seniors may find cooking difficult if they had relied on a spouse, partner, or caretaker to prepare meals for them. If one’s spouse passes away or experiences a loss in motor function, this can inhibit one’s ability to access healthy eating options.
No matter the cause, seniors who wish to maintain autonomy but may struggle with cooking their own meals might opt for less-healthy but more convenient alternatives. For example, there are many processed “heat-and-eat” meals in the freezer aisle at the grocery store. However, these are often full of added sodium, sugars, and lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables. For those living with conditions like heart disease or diabetes, these frozen meals do not prove the most beneficial option.
For doctors and other medical professionals providing home healthcare services to their patients, providing means for seniors to remain at home and access healthy meals can play an instrumental role in supporting treatment plans. For example, if a person looking to regulate blood pressure can enjoy delicious, low-sodium meals without having to cook them, this can help encourage them to eat healthier on a regular basis.
Home Delivered Meals Done Right
The home delivery meal industry once endured a more critical reputation. These foods were often associated as “unhealthy” or “overprocessed.” While, certainly, there are some that do not provide much nutritional value to the customer, many recent companies have emerged in recent years to challenge these notions. For example, consumer meal delivery brands like HelloFresh and Blue Apron have proven to the mass market that healthy, easy-to-prepare meals are possible.
When concerning the senior market specifically, though, there are many individuals who may struggle with handling cookware, working with heat sources, and/or swallowing solid foods. Each of these factors, together or separate, may disenfranchise seniors from cooking fresh meals and opt for something less healthy that also requires less effort.
At DeliverLean Care, we strive to provide the reach and agility of a national meal delivery chain while also partnering with dieticians and professional chefs to create recipes that meet specific nutritional standards and require no preparation. Combining food availability with nutrient-rich recipes and a heat-and-eat preparation model, we are able to provide senior patients throughout the United States with a true alternative that speaks to the specific needs of their population.
Here are some of the ways that our home delivered meals can help your patients maintain autonomy and enjoy a healthier lifestyle:
Fresh Ingredients with Heat-and-Eat Convenience
We develop recipes only using fresh ingredients with nutritional bioavailability and prepare everything at our central facility in Florida. After they are already cooked at our headquarters, they are flash-frozen and shipped to recipients throughout the entire United States. Once your senior patient receives the meal you have ordered for them, they just place it in the microwave and enjoy it within under 2 minutes. This means no meal prep, no ovens or stoves, and no setting timers.
DeliverLean Care meals can also be refrigerated and reheated up to two weeks after delivery. That way, if the person does not want to eat their meal right away, they can save it for a short while after.
Integrate Home Delivered Meals with Your Treatment Plan
Many seniors are living off retirement savings or other fixed income. As their medical provider, you do not want to place added financial burden on their lives.
This is why we took the steps to ensure that all of our meals are covered by most of the leading senior health insurance providers. This allows you to order meals for your patients without having to worry about incurring extra out-of-pocket expenses for them.
Help Your Patients Maintain Worry-Free Autonomy
The two primary benefits of providing home delivered meals to your senior patients are allowing them to maintain a healthy diet and their personal autonomy. With a meal solution that can offer these two benefits simultaneously, you can also play instrumental role in increasing their quality of life.
Get Started with Home Delivered Meals for Your Patients
If you are interested in ordering home delivered meals for your patients, please view our meal plans to learn more. We offer a variety of options including low-sodium, kosher, diabetic, vegetarian, and many more. All are developed to meet senior nutritional needs and can be covered by the patient’s insurance provider.
Have any additional questions about what we do? Contact us any time to speak with someone from our team.