Meals on Wheels, and the alternatives
Meals on Wheels is the best-known answer to someone who has stopped cooking, and for good reason — it is subsidised, it is almost everywhere, and it has run for decades.
It is also more than a meal, which is the part worth understanding before you choose it.
How it works
A hot or frozen meal delivered to the door on the days you choose, usually by a volunteer. Menus cover common dietary needs, and you can often start with a short trial.
It is subsidised, so the cost per meal is modest — set locally, and lower again for anyone who has had an aged care assessment. Your council, or My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, can get it started.
The part that is not about food
The same person arrives most days and lays eyes on someone living alone. For a lot of families that daily check is the real value — often the first to notice a fall, a bad day, or that yesterday's meal is untouched.
If that matters to you, ask whether the meal is handed over by a person rather than left at the door, because it varies.
When something else fits better
If they still want to cook but cannot manage alone, help with the cooking keeps the routine rather than replacing it. If it is only about stocking the freezer, a batch made ahead is cheaper and more flexible, with no company attached.
And if meals are arriving but going untouched, that is worth a closer look than any delivery can give — the kind of thing worth talking to a person about.
What AskFam does and does not do
AskFam works out what you need and points you at services that already exist. It does not employ anyone, does not arrange the work, and takes no fee or commission — from you or from them.
It also has not checked anybody. Where you see a business listed, that is a public listing, not a recommendation. Where somebody offers on a job you posted, that is them describing themselves, in their own words. Ask for what matters to you, and take your time about it.
See also
Want AskFam to work out who covers this near you? Describe it in your own words — we will tell you exactly what to ask for.