DO YOU HAVE A SENIOR FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIENDS IN YOUR LIFE WHO COULD USE SOME HELP IN THE KITCHEN?
While many families resort to meal delivery services to provide their loved ones with food, this certainly isn’t the only option to consider. Instead, you could choose to hire a personal chef to come and prepare home-cooked meals for the senior in your life. The cost is less than you’d think, with some personal chef able to provide custom meals for as little as $10/serving.
This is an option that many don’t realize exists, however it can provide many advantages to the individuals who choose to use them. To help you decide if this is the right move, we’re sharing seven benefits of using a personal chef for seniors.
1. THE CHEF HANDLES MEAL PLANNING & GROCERY SHOPPING
One of the benefits of using a personal chef for seniors is that the chef will handle all the meal planning and grocery shopping. Many seniors just aren’t able to easily get to the grocery store. This could be for a variety of different reasons — no reliable transportation, disabilities, etc. This only provides added stress on those seniors as they have to figure out how to get their food every day.
Seniors can leave the meal planning up to the personal chef and include any additional items they’d like to have. Then, the chef can pick up everything on the list so seniors don’t have to worry about it. Not only is this much easier, but it also gives seniors more free time back in their day. Plus, they’ll have someone who they can always depend on to help them out with any food-related needs.
2. IT ELIMINATES THE STRESS OF COOKING
Cooking can be a stressful task for many people, but even more so for some seniors. For many, preparing a meal is a laborious task from planning, grocery shopping, and actually doing the cooking. It can take a while to accomplish even the simplest tasks, especially for seniors who have a hard time getting around. Some will find themselves quickly getting frustrated and stressed over the fact that they aren’t able to do things they used to accomplish with ease.
Having a personal chef can eliminate this stress entirely. Plus, with someone else handling all the cooking, it’s going to be safer for many seniors this way. They won’t have to worry about kitchen mishaps such as dealing with knives or dropping plates.
3. MEALS ARE CUSTOMIZABLE
Another great thing about hiring a personal chef is that the meals can be customized to a senior’s specific dietary needs. While not all seniors have special diets that they need to follow, many of them do because of health concerns or even medications they may be taking. Going with another service as opposed to a personal chef doesn’t give you this level of customization.
The chef you hire will be able to prepare meals that suit their unique tastes and dietary needs. They’ll even be able to put in requests for specific dishes that they love and find comforting. It’s much more personal and enjoyable this way. And seniors can receive the nutritious meals they need most with high-quality ingredients.
4. IT’LL GIVE SENIORS MORE FREE TIME
While meal delivery services can help save some time for seniors, having a personal chef will provide them with much more. Since they won’t have to worry about doing the grocery shopping or cooking meals, they’re free to spend their time however they wish. It’s a great opportunity to relax, read a book, or anything else that puts a smile on their face.
This is also great for seniors who struggle with any kind of disability. Trying to cook on their own is likely a time-consuming, challenging task. And it may take them even longer to complete simple things, while a personal chef can tackle it with ease.
5. IT’S AFFORDABLE EVEN ON A BUDGET
You might be wondering how on earth a personal chef could be affordable. However, when you compare the cost of a personal chef to other services, you’d be surprised to see that many offer a great price. There are actually special services that are specifically designed for seniors, so it’s likely taken into consideration that many are on a budget. Some personal chefs can provide meals for as little as $10/meal!
All you have to do is find a personal chef who is local to your area and who works with seniors. Find out how much they charge and exactly what they offer. Since they’re typically handling all the grocery shopping as well, it’s really an added bonus. You won’t have to pay someone else to handle this, nor will your loved one have to venture out to the store alone.
6. CHEFS WILL CLEAN UP AFTER MEALS
It’s safe to say that all of us dread cleaning up after preparing a meal in the kitchen. Whether you buy groceries from the store or even just use a popular meal delivery service, there’s always going to be clean up involved. With a personal chef on their side, seniors won’t ever have to worry about this. After the meal has been prepared, most chefs will tidy up the kitchen before saying goodbye.
All of the chefs at Chefs For Seniors will clean up after the meal has been prepared. This means your loved one can just relax and not have to worry about the stress of wiping everything down, washing dishes, and throwing things away.
7. A PERSONAL CHEF PROVIDES COMPANIONSHIP
Another benefit of using a personal chef for seniors is that it provides them with companionship. For seniors who live at home, they may spend a lot of time by themselves. As a result, it gets pretty lonely when you don’t have someone to talk to or spend time with. The regular visit from a personal chef can actually provide a sense of companionship through a new friendship.
The chef is there with the senior clients and can carry on a conversation while cooking in the kitchen. It’s a great way to brighten any senior’s day. And you’ll feel confident that your loved one is in good hands with their personal chef.