For 56 years Norm bragged about his wife's cooking. His mid-section was a tribute to her Italian / Greek repertoire. When she passed away, Norm not only lost his companion and the love of his life, he lost his cook. His waistline shrank as his depression increased. Norm was lost, and starving.

Dietary neglect is one of the first signs that all may not be well with an elder. Those who have lost a spouse are especially vulnerable to poor nutrition. Eating alone after decades of having a husband or a wife to share meals with can be a depressing and lonely experience. Many seniors find the chore of preparing a wholesome meal and clearing up afterwards no longer worth the effort.

Frozen Meals

Frozen dinners from the supermarket tend to be the fallback choice for many seniors who don't want to cook any longer. These are really not a good choice for more than a meal or two a week. Most are extremely high in salt and/or sugar, and most of the nutrition has been cooked out of the vegetables. While they may be filling and taste relatively good, as a regular diet they leave a lot to be desired.

Meals on Wheels

If your primary concern is getting your elder to eat a nutritious meal at least once a day, then a community sponsored meal program, often called "Meals-on-Wheels," may be a good solution. Along with a warm meal that is ready to eat, Meals on Wheels volunteers bring cheerful faces and a touch of daily human contact to homebound seniors.

Home delivered Meals on Wheels almost always depend on volunteers to make meal deliveries. Particularly as the cost of gasoline has continued to rise, it has become more difficult for some programs to recruit and keep volunteer drivers.

Because of the scarcity of volunteers most Meals on Wheels programs restrict home delivered meals to those seniors who are "homebound" and unable to get out on their own. Many will also decline to deliver meals to seniors who live with family members who are simply away during the day. Their reasoning is that a senior who can get out and about would benefit more from coming to a senior center or other congregate meal program, freeing up volunteers to deliver to those who can't get out. Homebound seniors who live with family members should also be able to count on having a meal in the evening, or when family members come home.

Congregate Meals

Many communities also offer "Congregate Meal" programs. Local senior centers offer a noon meal as often as five days each week. Seniors gather for activities and a group meal. Some seniors come occasionally, and some come every day. Many senior centers offer transportation services, so non-drivers can still attend. Contact your closest senior center for information about where congregate meals may be offered in your community.

Home delivered Meals on Wheels and Congregate Meal programs are always very reasonably priced. Most Meals on Wheels programs operate on a sliding fee scale, reducing the cost of a meal to an affordable price for any budget. Zero-cost meals for very-low-income seniors are often funded by tax-supported state or country social services.

You can locate Meals on Wheels and Congregate Meal programs by calling your local Area Agency on Aging. The Eldercare Locator at 1(800) 677-1116 can give you the telephone number of your AoA, or you can search for it on the Administration on Aging website at www.aoa.dhhs.gov .

Private Meal Delivery

If your elder's tastes and budget are more sophisticated, and the issue is simply a lack of interest in preparing a good meal, there are many private businesses that will ship or deliver prepared meals directly to a senior's home. Schwan's is a well-recognized brand with their own delivery vans that has been around for many years. Other suppliers will use commercial overnight delivery services.

You will generally be able to choose from several entrees, side dishes, and desserts which are flash-frozen and delivered on a schedule you choose. The diner must be able to get them into the freezer and defrost or microwave meals as they are needed.

Make an Internet search for "Home Delivered Meals" and you will find a good selection of services to choose from.

Private Chef

Using the services of a private chef is not as exotic as it may sound. Many seniors enjoy meals cooked by local professional chefs. Some private chef's will come to the senior's home on a regular basis to cook and package meals for later use. They will sit with the senior and design menus featuring favorite foods, and they are willing to work within dietary restrictions that many commercial kitchens have trouble with.

Other private chefs will cook in their own kitchens and deliver individually wrapped meals for later re-heating.

Most private chefs will shop for necessary menu items, making meal preparation completely hassle-free for their clients.

Private chefs are usually only available in larger metropolitan areas, and they can be hard to find. Word of mouth is the primary way most personal chef's find work. Community colleges with culinary arts schools can be good resources for referral to a private chef. You can find referrals to local personal chefs at www.hireachef.com and from the American Personal & Private Chef Association at www.personalchefsearch.com.