I just heard a very interesting business idea today on NPR (National Public Radio).
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/04/27/401749819/drop-in-home-chefs-may-be-an-alternative-to-assisted-living [Reproduced below.]
Too many seniors (especially males) end up in very expensive assisted living for one reason only: they eat lousy. (Nuked hotdogs, baloney sandwichs — stuff lazy bachelors and widowers make. wink emoticon ) Anyway, this new company sends in a chef once a week (charging $30 an hour) who cooks for the senior for the whole week; delicious AND nutritious meals, then the cook puts it all in pots or tupperware in the fridge to reheat later. So the senior gets to eat like a king, stay in their own home and neighborhood, and does not waste away and end up, for purely dietary reasons, in assisted living in some cold institution away from their roots and at thrice the cost. Sounds like a winning idea.
….the actual NPR story
Listen:
A healthy diet is good for everyone. But as people get older, cooking nutritious food can become difficult and sometimes physically impossible. A pot of soup can be too heavy to lift. And there’s all that time standing on your feet. It’s one of the reasons that people move into assisted living facilities.
But a company called Chefs for Seniors has an alternative: They send professional cooks into seniors’ homes. In a couple of hours they can whip up meals for the week.
Chef Sina Sundby cooks delicious, nutritious meals in Jim Schulz’s home in a suburb of Madison, Wis.
Ina Jaffe/NPR
For more than a year, Chef Sina Sundby’s been doing just that for 85-year-old client Jim Schulz, who lives in a suburb of Madison, Wis. Her starched white chef’s jacket tops a pair of blue jeans, while her strawberry blond hair is tucked under the traditional floppy chef’s hat. She’s a blur, chopping and mixing while pans sizzle on the stove.
Schulz watches, but doesn’t interfere.
“We chatter a lot when it’s just the two of us,” says Schulz. “And even if I don’t say anything, she just keeps talking.”
Schulz and Sundby both laugh. They know this story.
“I stepped out of the room once and I heard her talking and I said, ‘Who are you talking to?’ ” Schulz says. “And she said, ‘I’m talking to the food.’ ”
“I do talk to the food,” says Sundby, proudly.
Schulz says his diet was “lousy” before Sundby started cooking for him.
Ina Jaffe/NPR
Schulz’s conclusion: “That’s what makes it so good, it listens to her.”
The food is also good because Sundby knows what Schulz likes.
So this week’s dinners will be Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, crab cakes with remoulade sauce and asparagus, chicken divan with fresh spinach and chicken pot pie with vegetables. And a twist.
“Jim likes biscuits,” explains Sundby. “So instead of the pie dough, we’re gonna do biscuits.”
Schulz never made this kind of stuff for himself. When it comes to the kitchen, he’s mastered the art of boiling water. His wife was a good cook, he says. But she died 14 years ago. So he ate whatever he could buy frozen and shove in the microwave.
“I was anemic, I’d lost a lot of weight, and it was [because] my diet was lousy,” he says.
But Schulz says that according to his doctor, that’s no longer a problem. “The last time I saw him was three months ago,” says Schulz. “And he said, ‘We can go a lot longer [between appointments], you’re doing so well.’ ”
According to some estimates, there are hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million seniors living in their own homes who are malnourished. In long-term care facilities, up to 50 percent may suffer from malnutrition. This leads to increased risk for illness, frailty and falls.
“The number of seniors out there who aren’t eating properly is shocking to me,” says Barrett Allman, co-founder of Chefs for Seniors, which is based in Madison.
He’s been a chef for 22 years, running everything from a seafood place on the Oregon coast to a restaurant in a small town near Madison that specialized in Wisconsin-style comfort food, or as he puts it, “anything with cheese in it.”
The inspiration for Chefs for Seniors was Allman’s wife’s grandmother. When she could no longer cook for herself, the family decided she had to enter assisted living. That was 10 years ago.
“She’s still there, and not happy,” Allman says.
The family didn’t take it lightly, either. If only there had been a way for her to have the food she needed and remain in her home, they thought.
Then, about two years ago, the Allmans’ 21-year-old son Nathan, a University of Wisconsin student, turned his family’s longing into a business.
He entered the idea for Chefs for Seniors into the University’s Burrill Business Plan Competition.
And he won his category.
“That’s how we received our startup funds,” he says: $1,000, plus mentoring.
Enough, says Nathan Allman, that “the next week my dad quit his job and we were off and running.”
Part of the business plan is keeping the service affordable. In addition to the cost of the food, the client pays $30 an hour for the chef’s time. That’s usually a couple of hours a week of cooking and cleaning up the kitchen. There’s also a $15 charge for grocery shopping. So clients pay on average $45 to $75 a week.
And while there are lots of personal chefs out there and services that deliver meals for seniors there are few services specifically for older adults that prepare food in their homes.
Chefs for Seniors now has 50 to 60 clients and employs around 10 chefs. They talk about expanding their territory. They talk about franchising. But right now, Barrett Allman still consults personally with every new client and is there the first time the client and the chef meet. He cooks for the most challenging cases himself: the people with severe disabilities or people in hospice care.
“I can’t solve all the problems in that senior’s life, but as a chef, the least I can do is make them food,” Allman says.
Less than two hours after arriving at Jim Schulz’s house, Sina Sundby is packing the food she made into single-portion containers, ready for the microwave. Aromas of chicken, mushrooms, biscuits, asparagus and chocolate chip cookies linger.
“When she leaves, I’m exhausted,” says Schulz.
But he’s got a week’s worth of nourishing dinners to build up his strength for his chef’s next visit.
Comments:
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Wonderful idea! Many seniors don’t want to go into assisted living & need a little help (& human connection) to stay in their homes longer. There are many good chefs, who prefer the flexibility that this business offers. It’s all in how you look at affordability. Assisted living is a lot more expensive than having a chef perhaps buy your groceries (cause you don’t drive anymore) & come to your house to cook (because it’s not always the way you’d like to spend your energy), if that’s all a senior needs.
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Years ago I was a home health aide and, since I had previously worked as a cook, would often end up cooking folks dinner at home. They were incredibly appreciative to have a decent home-cooked meal again, and their gratitude almost made it all worthwhile. Sadly, I was barely making above minimum wage, so I had to quit as soon as something better came along, but I’ll always remember the pleasure of helping people without alternatives eat well once in a while.
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So sad that meaningful work is greatly undervalued. Think how the quality of the lives of so many people would be if home health care workers were paid a livable wage. People like you could provide a necessary service to others, their lives would improve, and you could maintain a reasonable lifestyle yourself doing something you enjoy.
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Meals on Wheels has been helping keep people independent for decades.
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And they are more than just food. It’s an extra set of eyes when you can’t be there every day.
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Unfortunately, I was not surprised about the percentage of people in nursing home situations that are under nourished. I have a friend who was in care for 20 days and I couldn’t believe what they were feeding her. The “dietitians” these places have on staff are focused on getting a certain number of calories in people but not on the nutritional value of the food they are providing. My friend was in recovering from having her carotid artery opened up and they gave her bacon every day. She had to request fresh fruit. Lunch options included a cheese sandwich. I just shake my head at what both hospitals and care facilities consider nutrition.
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Or over focused on nutritional value and not enough on food people will actually eat.
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I like it. It is sort of like Meals On Wheels but with a more personal touch & a smaller carbon footprint.
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Assisted living is not the answer for those who need help with cooking, but who need assistance with bathing, taking medications, need medical oversight because of physical disabilities, who cannot do ordinary tasks without additional help. There are what they call active living communities where prepared meals are part of what you pay for, but they also provide light housekeeping (once a week laundry, housekeeping, for example) for people who can largely take care of their own medications and personal care, and provide a community of people and activities that encourage individuals to be active and engaged. I know there is the idea that everyone should stay in their own home, but not everyone can get the care they need in their own home and it is beyond a chef to provide those additional services. This story makes it sound as if it is food preparation alone that gives the choice between assisted living and staying in one’s home. The problem, as always, is much more complicated than that since it depends on the health and ability to stay independent of the person. The chef is cheaper than an assisted living care facility unless you count in nursing care, housekeeping, etc. I think this is a great program, don’t get me wrong, but there is no one size fits all solution.
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Agreed. If it’s just cooking that’s a problem, say for a blind senior, that’s an easy problem to solve. My mom had a head injury from an accident at age 64. She could not make good decisions. That was the real problem. She had enough money that she could have paid for a cleaning lady, a cook, whatever. But it wasn’t safe for her to live at home.
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who can’t? it’s SOOOoooo much cheaper (to the individual, the family, the state, the health care system) to keep an older person in their home than to institutionalize them. The food created is healthier, there is the interaction with the chef, and the satisfaction of living independently. Sounds like a great program! Wish my mom could have benefited from it.
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Not just for old people. How about new moms? Wouldn’t that be an outstanding New Baby gift? Or Get Well gift for someone recuperating. Or a Valentines Day present…. Or if you are visiting with someone for a few days a hostess present
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I know they have options like this- I’ve used a company called Dream Dinners. You can pick up the meals completed or you can go in and assemble it yourself and tailor it to your families tastes- make things spicier or plainer, leave out olives or mushrooms from recipes as needed. Then everything packs into the freezer, frig or pantry.
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Nah. This is all about food. And food is only a tiny part of senior care.
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The highest price was 75$ a week? Most people spend more than that for food for a week, but don’t have nearly such healthy options? And clients don’t have to get transportation to the grocery store, which is very hard for many people. That seems like a huge savings- especially if it cuts down on doctor’s visits like it did for this gentleman because he was gaining weight and being healthy. Penny wise, pound foolish.
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Not many seniors with fixed income.
I’m not against that. I just wonder how many people can benefit from it.
Not everybody is a retired doctor, after all.
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I get what you’re saying but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that this is a great idea.
My mother in law is in an assisted living facility, although her only real need is the three meals a day. Assisted Living in a one bedroom in our area runs about $2400 a month. A one bedroom apartment and $75 a week ($300 a month) for inhume chefs would be MUCH cheaper and would give my MIL a sense of independence that she would seriously benefit from.
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There is no way it would cost $300 a month and her having 3 meals a day. The chef fee is $30 per hour plus the groceries.
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Did you read the article? It said $75 a week…
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If it makes you feel better, I do this for my parents and an aunt for free each week (except I cook at my own house). It gives me a chance to repay a little bit of what they’ve done for me. This article might give others the idea of doing likewise for their relatives.
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Older people usually eat less than more active, younger people.
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A chef charges $30/hour plus the cost of groceries. The story doesn’t say it’s plus the groceries. If you are cooking for 2 weeks, that’s probably about 10 meals. The most that could be sent all together would be $125 including chef time and groceries. It doesn’t add up to be correct. I know. I’ve been a personal chef for 20 years.
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Assisted living is more expensive.
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There is a better solution. “DeliverLean” in Boca Raton, Fl has gourmet chefs in a commercial kitchen who prepare excellent meals which are delivered three times a week. They come in plastic containers ready for the microwave. Menu’s are on line and one can select a diet and preferences. Even at Boca prices the charge is competitive with a chef coming to the house .
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Good food delivered is always good, but I think one of the advantages of having the chef cook in your home is the company for seniors. A home feels more homelike when someone is cooking. And it can smell good for days afterwards.
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This is wonderful. It would be nice if this could be partnered with students at Culinary academies. The students could get credit, or work/study pay and it bring the cost down while continuing to provide nutritious meals to seniors.
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Just opening containers, even something so simple as a yogurt, can be difficult for an elderly person.
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It is a very important issue that of nutrition for our seniors and this is a good solution. Another solution that you should look into is Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating. They offer 21 freshly prepared meals per week. All nutritionally correct.
Low sodium, low sugar. All healthy balanced ingredients. Very affordable way to gain convenience, a healthy diet and weight control. Honestly I think these meals should be in every senior independent facility. For those of us that have seniors we are looking after this is a great solution for assuring they will have 21 good meals per week. all you have to do is heat. Includes fresh fruit and vegetables, turkey and chicken and fish. No red meats. seattlesutton.com. Check it out.
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I like this concept very much and wish it was financially feasible for more seniors. Before entering assisted living last year, my own in-laws used Meals on Wheels. My sisters-in-law described the meals as “calories to keep you alive and not much more.”
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More than that. MOW staff were an extra set of eyes for me when I couldn’t be there.
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It seems nice if you can afford it. Not dissing the program, just reality that many who need a service like this can barely afford the food.
give it few years to sort that out.
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It’s a lot cheaper than assisted living.
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Many of those in need can’t afford assisted living either. Locally the Meals On Wheels program can provide one daily meal for those who access it at minimal cost but that is just one very light meal.
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Yes, light meals. Where my father-in-law lived it was a sandwich. But that sandwich and the person who brought it WERE important to him, even though he was a food snob and didn’t always eat it. This type of service would have been a godsend.
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“So clients pay on average $45 to $75 a week.”
That’s a pretty steep price for a week’s worth of frozen microwavable meals. You can buy them from the grocery store for less.
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When I saw the price I thought, “that’s not too bad.” While you could possibly get mass produced frozen meals for less, there are very few meals in the freezer case that would satisfy me and meet my needs as a diabetic.
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I keep my freezer full of Marie Callender frozen dinners ($3/ea) and Aunt Jemima frozen breakfasts ($1.85/ea). I keep a few other things in there as well, such as ribeye steaks, salmon fillets, shelled and cooked shrimp, pot pies and Blue Bunny ice cream. That does me pretty well and makes up about 90% of my regular diet. I go out for lunch or dinner once or twice a week.
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Where’s the fresh fruit and vegetables, Vern, dear?
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I pick up some bananas or plums occasionally. Don’t often buy fresh vegetables ’cause they spoil too fast. Can’t buy just one serving of fresh so I usually buy frozen veggies.
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All frozen meals are very very high in sodium content.
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Agreed. Whole Foods or some other markets should make deliveries of their prepared foods.
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Here in Dallas, there are several delivery services that do just that for a small fee. If you can wait a day or so for them to work you into a route, their fee is often less than $10 for your whole week’s groceries.
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Ditto in the Denver area.
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In my elder law practice, I see a real tug between the kids wanted to assure that the parent is safe and the parent’s desire for autonomy. Sometimes the complexities of cooking, and eating right, are the first things that wane as we age. Especially for widowed men who were not in the habit of cooking, this concept seems to fit the bill and at a very affordable price. This is a great concept to keep mom or dad at home longer and maintain their independence just a bit longer!
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I think this is great. I admit, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that it becomes more difficult to lift a pot of water, or soup, or that arthritis would make some basic food prep unworkable. It makes perfect sense of course, but as a 40-something, it’s just not something that’s been on my radar.
It’s certainly got to be a darn sight better than putting a frozen entree in the microwave for 5 minutes on High.
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Well considering that part of the country, even given the actual cost of food, that should be very affordable. Anyone who is staying in the home is tons better off paying for a drop in chef than assisted living. I spent 5 years trying to find a place for my mother and the prices are ridiculous. I thank the stars everyday that she had a solid long term care plan. Yes this is a niche business, but if my mom had this going on, she could have stayed in her home much longer (she had state aid for a drop in nurse)and the family would not have been saddled with so much debt when the care plan did run out. Its not for everyone, but I give them kudos for trying.
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Yes, it is a good idea, and not just for seniors. Think about recovery. New baby. Company coming. Holidays. Just want a vacation from the kitchen. When you consider the cost of take out..$30 an hour is a steal!
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