CULINARY COMPANIONS:
Feeding your body and your spirit

Working in assisted living, I saw the effects of a life time of poor food choices- high blood pressure leading to heart attacks and strokes, inflammation causing pain and immobility, and diabetics eating bowl after bowl of aspartame laden ice cream after their insulin injections.  

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The seniors in my communities were fortunate- they had a variety of food choices available to them at each meal.  I learned quickly when my career took me to a Home Care Agency that sometimes just GETTING good, fresh food was a challenge to seniors.   With working families, no car, and little to no computer skills, the seniors I served relied on frozen dinners or the good-hearted volunteers from home delivery services.  I would get requests every week for caregivers who could also provide good home cooked meals with fresh vegetables- and it was surprisingly difficult to deliver!  When I found a caregiver who liked to cook, they would cook a quick meal after helping the senior with bathing, laundry, and everything else scheduled during that little time.  Frequently it was the only meal that would be had that day- with little appetite, little energy, and no one to share the meal with, meals were frequently just skipped.  

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The Culinary Companion concept was the result of all that I found lacking in most home support systems- Good, fresh food, chosen by the senior and prepared in a way that acknowledges their medical/nutritional needs, prepared by the senior and a kind and interested companion who is trained to be both a great cook and a senior caregiver.  This is not a private chef service, nor is it a home care agency-  it is a Culinary Companion.  Thank you for allowing us into your kitchen- Monica Paulino, Owner