Meal service delivery options for seniors who don’t cook

Dear Savvy Senior

What types of healthy meal delivery options can you recommend for seniors who live at home, but don’t cook and don’t get out much. Since mom passed away, my dad’s diet is terrible and I worry about his health.—Long-Distance Daughter

Dear Long-Distance,

There are various healthy meal service delivery options available to non-cooking seniors who live at home, but what’s available to your dad will depend on his location and budget. Here are several to check into.

Senior Meal Programs

A good place to start is to find out if there’s a senior home delivery meal program in your dad’s area. Meals on Wheels is the largest program that most people are familiar with, but many communities offer senior meal delivery programs sponsored by other organizations that go by different names.

To find services available in your dad’s area, visit MealsOnWheelsAmerica.org, which offers a comprehensive directory on their website, or call the area aging agency near your dad. Contact the Eldercare Locator at 800677-1116 to get the number.

Most home delivered meal programs across the U.S. deliver hot meals daily or several times a week, usually around the lunch hour, to seniors over age 60 who have problems preparing meals for themselves, as well as those with disabilities. Weekend meals, usually frozen, may also be available, along with special diets (diabetic, low-sodium, kosher, etc.). Most of these programs typically charge a small fee (usually between $2 and $6) or request a donation, while some may be free to low-income seniors.

Online Meal Delivery

Another option that’s a bit more expensive is to purchase your dad’s meals online and have them delivered to his home. There are a number of companies that offer this type of service like Magic Kitchen (magickitchen.com), Home Bistro (homebistro.com), Personal Chef To Go (personalcheftogo.com), Good Measure Meals (goodmeasuremeals.com), and many others.

These companies offer a wide variety of tasty meal choices, and will usually post the nutrition information for their meals right on their website. Most companies will also cater to a host of dietary and medical needs, such as low-sodium and low-carb meals, diabetic meals, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian options.

Most of the food arrives frozen, but a few companies ship food fresh. Prices generally start at around $10 to $13 per meal, plus shipping, however most companies provide discounts or free shipping when you order meals in bulk.

Grocery Stores and Restaurants

Depending on where your dad lives, he may also be able to get home delivered meals from local grocery stores or restaurants. Some grocery stores offer a selection of pre-cooked meals and foods, including roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and fresh soups and salads. Contact the grocery stores in your dad’s area to inquire about this option. Or check with some of his favorite restaurants to see if they offer home delivery.

Personal Chefs

Another option for non-cooking seniors with a bigger budget is to hire a personal chef from time to time. A personal chef can provide your dad with a do-it-all service that will help plan his meals, do the grocery shopping and prepare him several weeks worth (or more) of tasty meals in his home, which he can freeze and eat whenever he wants. Or, they can prepare it in their own kitchen and deliver it. Chef’s fees range between $200 and $300 plus groceries. He may be able to save money by sharing meals with you or another family member, or a friend or neighbor.

To find a personal chef in your dad’s area, check the listings at the American Personal & Private Chef Association (personalchef.com) or the United States Personal Chef Association (hireachef.com).

How Much Does a Funeral Cost?

Dear Savvy Senior,

How much does an average funeral and body burial cost? I need to make funeral arrangements for my aunt, who’s terminally ill, and would like to have a cost idea going in so I can plan and budget appropriately.—The Executor

Dear Executor,

It definitely pays to know what charges to expect when pre-planning a funeral. Most people don’t have a clue, and can often be upsold thousands of dollars worth of extra services you may not want or need. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect.

Funeral Prices

The first thing you need to be aware of is that funeral costs will vary considerably depending on your geographic location, the funeral home you choose and the funeral choices you make. With that said, here’s a breakdown of what an average funeral costs, nationwide, according to recent data from the National Funeral Directors Association.

Professional services fee: This is a basic non-declinable fee that covers the funeral provider’s time, expertise and overhead. $2,000

Transfer of the remains: This is for picking up the body and taking it to the funeral home. $310 Embalming and body preparation: Embalming is usually mandatory for open-casket viewing, otherwise it’s not required unless the body is going to be transported across state lines. Embalming costs $695. Other body preparations, which includes hairdressing and cosmetics runs $250. Funeral viewing and ceremony: If the viewing and funeral ceremony is at the funeral home, you’ll be charged for use of the chapel and any necessary staff. Costs: $420 for viewing, and $495 for funeral ceremony.

Metal casket: This is a big money maker for funeral homes, with markups of up to 300 percent over the wholesale price. $2,395.

Funeral transportation: Use of hearse and driver $318 to transport the body to the cemetery. Use of a service car/van $143. Memorial printed package:

This includes printed programs and

memorial guest book. $155.

In addition to these costs, there are a number of other related expenses such as flowers for the funeral (around $200 to $400), the newspaper obituary fee ($100 to $600 or more), the clergy honorarium ($200 to $300) and extra copies of the death certificate ($5 to $35 per copy depending on the state).

And, a number of large cemetery costs like the plot or mausoleum fee, the vault or grave liner that’s required by most cemeteries, and the opening and closing of the grave, all of which average between $2,000 and $4,000; and the gravestone, which typically costs between $1,000 and $3,000.

All told, the average cost of a total funeral today is around $11,000 or more.

Ways to Save

If you aunt’s estate can’t afford this, there are ways to save. For starters, you should know that prices can vary significantly by funeral provider, so it’s wise to shop around.

If you need some help finding an affordable provider, your area funeral consumers alliance program may be able to refer you.

See Funerals.org/local-fca or call 802-8658300 for contact information.

There are also free websites you can turn to, like Parting.com that lets you compare prices, and FuneralDecisions.com that will provide estimates from local funeral homes based on what you want.

When evaluating funeral providers, be sure you get an itemized price list of services and products so you can accurately compare and choose what you want.

But, the most significant way to save on a funeral is to request a “direct burial” or “direct cremation.”

With these options your aunt would be buried or cremated shortly after death, which skips the embalming and viewing. If she wants a memorial service you can have it at the graveside or at her place of worship without the body. These services usually run between $600 and $2,000, not counting cemetery charges.

Flu Vaccines for Seniors

Dear Savvy Senior,

Are there any specific flu shots that are better suited for seniors? I just turned 65 and would like to find out what’s recommended and how Medicare covers it.— Semi-Healthy Senior

Dear Semi-Healthy,

There are actually two different flu vaccines available this year that are designed specifically for seniors age 65 and older. One option is the Fluzone High-Dose, which has been available since 2010, and the other is the new FDA approved FLUAD vaccine (you only need to get one of these).

The Fluzone High-Dose (see Fluzone.com) is a high-potency vaccine that contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot does, which creates a stronger immune response for better protection. While the new FLUAD vaccine (FLUAD.com) contains an added ingredient called adjuvant MF59 that also helps create a stronger immune response.

The extra protection these vaccines provide is particularly helpful to seniors who have weaker immune defenses and have a great risk of developing dangerous flu complications.

The CDC estimates that the flu puts more than 200,000 people in the hospital each year and kills an average of 24,000—80 to 90 percent of whom are seniors.

But be aware that both the Fluzone HighDose and FLUAD are not recommended for seniors who are allergic to chicken eggs, or those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.

You should also know that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend one vaccination over the other, and to date, there have been no studies comparing the two vaccines.

If you decide you don’t want to get a senior-specific flu shot, there are other options available to people 65 years and older including the standard (trivalent) flu shot, the quadrivalent flu shot which protects against four different flu viruses, and the FluBlok vaccine for those who have egg allergies.

To locate a vaccination site that offers any of these flu shots, visit Vaccines.gov and type in your ZIP code.

You’ll also be happy to know that as a Medicare beneficiary, Part B will cover 100 percent of the costs of any flu shot, as long as your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays.

Pneumonia Vaccines

Two other important vaccinations the CDC recommends to seniors, especially this time of year, are the pneumococcal vaccines for pneumonia. Around 1 million Americans are hospitalized with pneumonia each year, and about 50,000 people die from it.

The CDC is now recommending that all seniors, 65 or older, get two vaccinations – Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23. Both vaccines, which are administered just once at different times, work in different ways to provide maximum protection.

If you haven’t yet received any pneumococcal vaccine you should get the Prevnar 13 first, followed by Pneumovax 23 six to 12 months later. But if you’ve already been vaccinated with Pneumovax 23, wait at least one year before getting the Prevnar 13.

Medicare Part B covers both shots, if they are taken at least one year apart.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.