I need ASAP to locate a supplier for " mechanical" soft foods.
1. Dysphagic diagnosis requires elimination of some foods and substitution of "mechanically soft" foods.
2. Pork, chicken and beef (unless ground up) are out; tuna fish and other fish are still acceptable. Other foods such as breads are out unless they're soaked in gravy or softened. Raw veggies and fruits are out except for bananas. I've considered baby food but research thus far reflects they don't have the nutrients that adults need.
I've identified alternatives to the raw veggies and fruits, but meats are still problematic.
3. I bought some Thick-It yesterday to thicken fluids; that aspect has been addressed.
4. My immediate need now is to focus on protein and iron (anemia diagnosis involved as well).
5. With up to 6 home care people involved, my home and cooking time is limited and I'm generally in transit to my father's house. Having had a few less than interested home care staff in the past, I want to make sure at the outset that the selected staff are fully on board and that we're in agreement on goals and treatment (some therapists have been less than enthusiastic about therapy for seniors - that can't happen again).
6. I'm trying to find frozen meals that can be microwaved; my father's not able to cook so the meals have to be microwavable, prepared by me or someone else (no someone else is available though). I found a few frozen meals yesterday but they're extremely limited, and most have meats that aren't easily chewable. I could buy them just for the "sides", but that's a waste of money.
7. I'm wondering if there are companies that specifically prepare "mechanically soft" meals, and if so, the names of these companies. I will call Schwan's, as their food has been good in the past, but I'm not sure they cater to dietary specialized meals. Even though I'll try again, I rather doubt I'll find much at the regular grocery stores.
8. The speech therapist hasn't come on board yet; I'll be contacting her, as well as any speech pathology organizations I can locate, and of course doing more online research. I'm also contacting the dietician and speech pathologist at the nursing home Dad was at. I'm hoping they have some recommendations.
9. Between 6 different people from home care coming at various times, I'm not able to spend time cooking until the weekend, and the need for specialized meals exists NOW.
10. We have been getting Meals on Wheels, but they're not able to prepare "mechanically soft" meals. They could provide regular meals, but someone needs to chop or cut up the meats. And generally the meats aren't soft enough that even grinding would make them edible. We've tried thinner meats but some choking still occurs, so that option is out.
If anyone has gone through this before, and found a source for already prepared "mechanically soft" meals, I would sincerely appreciate that information.
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.
