If you’re one of the 27% Americans with a disability (Courage Center, 1999), I’ll bet you could use some help with your weekly errands. If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, you’re in luck! The Twin Cities offers a wide variety of products and services delivered right to your door. You may already know of some but what’s holding you back? You may feel guilty about hiring someone to deliver a product or perform a task, but what’s the trade-off? With winter upon us, trips to the store and doctor can be difficult or dangerous. One of five elderly Minneapolis residents (21.2 percent) requires help with routine household chores (Courage Center, 1999) and a Wilder Research Center study predicts the number of seniors in the area will grow to 115 percent over the next 25 years. This demographic of baby boomers wants to stay in their home longer and with that, we are seeing more businesses and organizations that provide independent living resources. This column is the first in a series that will highlight some key “house calls,” or independent living resources that will simplify your life such as grocery delivery.
Grocery Delivery
When my husband challenged me that we were spending more with our online grocery service than we used to at the grocery store, I did a little test. The result, after one month of shopping at my local grocer, we spent $100 more than the previous year, same month. I believe the reason was because of impulse buying that happened when I was in front of the food, smelling it—often, hungry. Simon Delivers offers dependable grocery delivery in the Twin Cities. For a $5 delivery charge (on orders over $80), they’ll deliver a wide variety of products to your door the very next day. If dairy products and basic staples are all you need, try Dave’s Dairy Delivery, Meyer Bros. Dairy or Johnny’s Dairy Delivery. For those who live in an outer ring suburb, try Schwans and Beskau Home Delivery.
I recently discovered Dine-Wise and was impressed with their meal selection and nutritiously prepared foods. Their meals are flash frozen and can be delivered anywhere in the continental U.S. in boxed coolers. For a local, non-frozen, healthy eating option, Seattle Sutton was built on the idea of helping people maintain their weight, blood sugar level and lifestyle with fresh meals you can either pick up or have delivered. If you have limited financial resources, organizations such as Meals on Wheels and Store to Door will help ensure you’re eating a balanced diet. Always be ready to entertain with Tastefully Simple easy-to-prepare gourmet foods. Schedule a party and invite your friends to sample their Bountiful Beer Bread…my favorite!
If your errand list could keep a person busy for days, consider hiring a home care assistant such as City Zen Concierge or Home Instead Senior Care. They’ll deliver your groceries, put them away and organize your meal planning. Do your own test and discover a life free of bagging groceries and long lines at the grocery store.
Resource Contact Information
Simon Delivers: www.simondelivers.com; 763-971-4900
Beskau Home Delivery: www.HomedeliveriesRus.com; 651-437-3669
City Zen Concierge: www.cityzenconcierge.com; 612-605-1624
Dave’s Dairy Delivery: 612-522-6335
DineWise: www.dinewise.com; 1-800-749-1170
Home Instead Senior Care: www.homeinstead.com/default.asp
Johnny’s Dairy Delivery: 763-757-0173
Meals on Wheel: www.meals-on-wheels.com; 612-789-5007
Meyer Bros. Dairy: www.meyerbrosdairy.com; 952-473-7343
Schwans: www.schwans.com; 1-888-SCHWANS
Seattle Sutton: www.seattlesutton.com
Store to Door: www.storetodoor.org ; (651) 642-1892
Tastefully Simple: www.tastefullysimple.com
Housecalls Network contains a directory of resources that can help the growing population of seniors, disabled people and their caregivers live independently. House-calls Network also sells aids for daily living and adaptive clothing. Housecalls Network does not endorse any particular provider. They assume no responsibility for transactions between the readers of this article and listed organizations.
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