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hi i was just wondering if there is any meals on wheels services that covers wick and surrounding areas, if not, is this a service which anybody would like? I have been thinking of setting up this service for quite sometime and would be very interested in your views or ideas, before i start. Thankyou
i think you'd be best speaking to the council. could be wrong but i thought they ran the meals on wheels service for the elderly.
from my experience of meals on wheels for the elderly, it's not a 'for profit' type of business, more of a social work service.
saying that, i'd pay you handsomely for a cheeseburger and platter of nachos right now. maybe that's where the market is. a good munchie delivery service.
You are correct, "meals on wheels" is a service for the elderly who can't get out to get their own. It's not a 'for profit' type of business and is meant for social work service.
Sadly now in the highlands "meals on wheels" translates as "you need a freezer and a microwave and choose your frozen dinners from a catalogue".............unless you are named Bobandag16 and get home cooked meals in containers fresh to your freezer!
An interesting idea tho Richard.
this makes me feel depressed :(Quote:
Originally Posted by poppett
i thought meals on wheels were fresh meals from the nursing homes delivered every couple of days with a bit of chat thrown in
in that case i think you should go for it Richard, not sure how you would get around the whole logistics of it though (delivery/payment/premises to prepare meals etc)
is the current service run by the council or tendered out to a private firm ?
not easy to get over the problems. high costs . numbers invovled. staffing . transport. not an easy project iam the bobandag16 in poppets reply she caters for one. think you will find many hurdles to over come . nice idea but outdated..
there is a firm that already does this, my mums 94 year old neighbour in keiss gets all her food delivered to her.
cant mind what they're called offhand, think it might be wiltshire farm foods, but have seen the van there often.
thanks AnneMarie, your mum's neighbour's company looks very professional http://www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com
but the food looks like the sort of processed rubbish that Wetherspoons sells or even worse .... Raigmore Hospital :eek:
thank you everyone for your input, i will take it all on board. Spongeboab you are right wiltshire foods does look very proffesional but yes unfortunatly it is all frozen pre packed ready meals which is also stated on their site. its this exact thing that i want to get away from by providing fresh quality local food. Also not just for the elderly, but for anybody that prehaps finds cooking difficult.
Surprised its not all Tesco doing the frozen meal delivery over there too!
I was horrified when meals on wheels were stopped by social work dept along with other services they provided. Years ago I used to drive the social work mini bus and one of my jobs was to collect the WVS ladies and hot meals from Poultney house and drive around the town and area. At least this way the ladies went in with the meals and could see that the ol/disabled folk were ok. If not a report would be made for a doctor to attend etc. Now they supply a little frezer and a book of frozen meals. Most of these folk wont use a microwave and there is no one to check if they are well or not.
My mother gets foods delivered from Wiltshire and thinks they are ok. they look small to me and i think she would be better getting from Farmfoods down her road. Much better for these folk to get fresh hot meals delivered once again. Good idea.
It is Wiltshire who deliver to the rest of the Thurso folks who would have had meals on wheels when run by social work department.
Thank you for the Wick side history, Fran.
Back in the day when folks really cared for the elderly and disabled in the community.
Whenever I visit my Granny in Wales, she always makes me have one of her 'dinners' from Wiltshire Farmfoods because she's so proud of them. While I certainly haven't sampled the whole range, for frozen meals, they are actually pretty tasty. I'm really not a fan of 'ready meals' and refuse to buy them from the supermarket but the Wiltshire stuff is definetely superior. Nothing will ever be as good as having it fresh, but for packaged, frozen meals, they're surprisingly good.
The Wiltshire food arrangement is usually done in association with Homecare- they pop in, check on the recipient and heat their food for them.
I've got an alternative suggestion for you- a drop in baking service. There are lots of elderly folk stuck in the house who might enjoy a visit from a baker who could drop off a homemade cake or a few scones.
Why not set this up with a few of the young people who have done the hospitality course at colege but haven't been able to get work?
Or- why not aim your idea at busy working people who don't get time to do much cooking?
Great idea Bagpuss :D
Brilliant idea Bagpuss. Fond memories of Michael Yellop coming to Thurso on a Thursday afternoon with his mobile bakers van.
I agree with other posts on here richard1976.
I can't understand as to why, if you are providing a service of meals-on-wheels, you can't deliver same. Is there an actual "contract" somewhere which claims sole responsibilty for same, even through a council contract ?
Also mentioned by other Orgers on here, a bakery service/van would be much appreciated too by those who are unfortunate enough not to have accessible travel to their local bakery shop.
Personally, richard1976, I would say; "Go for it, you've got nothing to lose and would probably bring joy to those you would deliver to "
I can't vouch for 'meals on wheels" in Caithness, but our senior citizen groups in the USA volunteer for delivering 'meals on wheels' to the needy elderly and it is well appreciated by those who receive them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran