Shopping and meal preparation services

We know that caring for someone who is elderly or has physical or mental difficulties often involves helping them with so much more than just their personal care. That’s why we offer a holistic service that considers people’s different lifestyles and needs, and aims to ensure they are happy, independent and leading as full a life as possible.

Help with shopping and meal preparation

Having a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal is so important for both mental and physical wellbeing, as is being in control over your food choices and being able to feed yourself if possible. Being able to shop for food is also an important part of staying well and independent, especially as we age, but it is also something that can become too tricky or logistically impossible without extra help.

Our shopping and meal preparation service ensures that the people we care for enjoy the process of planning, buying and cooking regular, healthy meals. Even if the contribution towards these tasks is small it helps our clients to feel empowered and valued.

Here we look at our shopping and meal preparation services in further detail, including: 

How we can help with shopping

How we can help with meal preparation

The benefits our shopping and meal preparation services can bring

What our clients have said about our shopping and meal preparation services

A member of our friendly team will be happy to give you further details about Caremark’s shopping and meal preparation service and how we can help you or your loved one. Please click to find the contact details for your local office.

To read more about how we can help in the home, visit our section on Domestic Duties and our Domestic Duties Guide.

Shopping services

We understand the importance of a good diet. Regular, balanced meals are essential to maintaining good health. But unfortunately, older people and those with physical or mental difficulties can find looking after themselves in this way a challenge. Food planning and shopping can be a chore or just too difficult – getting to the shops may be tricky, store layouts can be difficult with shelving too high or too low and a lack of adequate rest facilities, and carrying heavy shopping home can also be a problem.

Your shopping service, your way

Our shopping service is designed to suit you, or your family member’s needs. We can accompany you or your friend or relative to the shops, and help do the shopping, or we can work together to create a shopping list, do the shopping either online or at the store and finally help unpack it.

Accompanying you to the shops

We can accompany you or your friend or relative to the shops. Afterwards we help bring the shopping home and unpack it. This service is ideal for more mobile people who just need extra assistance with getting to and from the shops. We can arrange one-to-one or group shopping trips.

Home delivery shopping

We do the shopping and then bring it to your or your loved one’s home. We can also help to unpack and put the groceries away. This service is suitable for those who are housebound and unable to do their own shopping.

Online shopping

We do the shopping online at the store of your choice and arrange a delivery time. We can then organise to be there when it arrives and help to unpack it. This service is suitable for those who are housebound and unable to do their own shopping.

With all these options we can work together to create a shopping list based on heathy meals and your or your loved one’s preferences. Because we allocate one carer to each client they get to know what their client likes and can help to ensure their cupboards are filled with things they like to eat by prompting them when supplies are running low.

Meal preparation

Our care assistants will help you or your loved one to prepare and eat (if required) meals that they not only enjoy, but that also help them to remain healthy. Our aim is to make mealtimes as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. We can help with the following:

Prepare a meal for you or your loved one and then feed it to you/them
Help prepare a meal, working alongside you or your friend or relative
Encourage eating
Preparing meals in line with special dietary, cultural or religious requirements
Checking food supplies
Checking food expiry dates
Clearing away after a meal and doing the washing up

Often when food is prepared for someone or when our carers help their clients to prepare food we find they’re more likely to eat it. It is often very helpful for people who aren’t prioritising eating to have company at mealtimes as it gives them more of an incentive to eat. Sometimes older people people need a little reminder or prompting to eat, and a bit of company helps to turn eating into a more enjoyable activity.

Preventing malnutrition and enhancing independence

Our shopping and meal preparation service has a range of benefits including:

Preventing malnutrition
Teaching simple cookery to people who have never done it before
Providing an activity: often food shopping is seen as an enjoyable day out with your carer
Reducing social isolation and loneliness
Enabling you or your loved one to stay independent at home

My carer always goes above and beyond

Our clients find our shopping and meal preparation service invaluable. Here are just a few comments to give you a picture of how our service impacts people’s lives:

“I returned home after a hospital visit and found out that online shopping was not available. My main carer decided to learn to cook Vietnamese food, which is my favourite, and he bought some for me. I really like my main carer, he always goes above and beyond.” 

Client, Caremark (Welwyn & Hatfield)

"I remember when it snowed heavily in the winter and I thought they would never be able to get to us, but they did and that says everything about Caremark as a company.”

 Client, Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland)

“I am very happy and fulfilled with the excellent services that I am receiving from Caremark (Lambeth). The carers are very caring and passionate about the care they are providing.” 

Client, Caremark (Lambeth)

"We were very impressed with how quickly the care we required was organised for us. The carer they supplied soon settled in, and within days my father was responding well and she was great support and help to my mother too.” 

Relative of a client, Caremark (Cambridge & South Cambridgeshire)

Would you like further information?

If you would like more details about how we can help with shopping and meal preparation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by filling out the form below. Your local Caremark team will be in touch to discuss your needs and guide you through your options.

To read more about how we can help around the home, visit our section on Domestic Duties and our Domestic Duties Guide.

Accessibility Options

Shopping & Meal Preparation

We understand the importance of a good diet