Elderly and Senior Meal Delivery Solutions from the Experiences of Family Caretakers for New Family Caretakers
Humana Well Dine
Humana Well Dine Prepared Meals Food Assistance Program
Caring for the elderly is vital, especially after a long stay at the hospital or nursing home, in a chronic condition or long term illness. These patients should be monitored carefully so that they do not risk the chance of going back and also these patients deserve the proper nutrition so that their bodies can grow healthy again. There are many food assistance programs and insurance programs, but the nation’s leading supplemental benefits program is a program within Humana Medicare called Humana Well Dine.
Humana’s food assistance is a program that provides healthy meals to Medicare members that are eligible and recovering from inpatient stay in the hospital, or recovering from a stay at the nursing home. Meals can also be available for those enrolled under Humana Medicare, in a chronic conditions and special needs plan. This is a program that is built on building better lives for its patients.
Providing proper nutrition after a long term illness or condition that caused them to lose all important vitamins and proteins. The program doesn't just serve meals, they keep track of their patients and know all about the well-being of them, so that they can provide the proper meals to their door.
The way that this program works is when a patient needs meals, Humana delivers 10 packaged and frozen meals straight to their door. There are also several diets a Humana Member could choose from such as regular, vegetarian, diabetic, puree, renal supportive options and kosher meals thus providing the exact nutrition that each patient specifically needs.
The patient will call in for their 10 frozen precooked meals, and schedule a day and time for arrival. Since this program is under their health care benefits, Humana will know their customers through and through and be aware of their diet.
All of this at no cost to the patient. Since each patient has a different diet, health care providers must watch closely to the food that each patient or member requests. A diabetic doesn't need to end up with a regular meal, and a vegetarian surely wouldn't want to end up with a meal full of meat, so health care providers are given a time frame to approve or change the request so that patient ends up with the correct nutritious meal.
In order to be eligible for Well Dine, you must refer to your health care provider as this is an insurance plan. Members may call 1-866-966-3257 to see if they are eligible to participate in this program, through their plan benefits.
The program would come at no cost to you considering this would fall under your health insurance plan. There are many Humana programs and insurances such as Humana Medical Plan and Humana Insurance Company. Humana is offered in the United States and Puerto Rico. Humana Medicare Supplement plan members and also CarePlus members are also eligible for Well Dine.
After a long stay at the hospital in chronic conditions, or dealing with long term illness after a nursing home stay, patients under Humana Medicare are in need of nutritious meals and care. The program not only offers frozen packaged meals to help keep these patients healthy, but they also provide a health guide so that you can keep track and keep up with the nutrition you need.
During the program, Humana also keeps a check on its customers, they don't just send food and leave them to be, they actually keep records and history of the patient, so that they are aware of the patients’ needs and health. Well Dine also talks with their patients, letting them know all of the community programs that they may participate in, if needed. Well Dine keeps close contact with their members and their health care providers to ensure the safety and health of all Well Dine members.
Medical studies prove that after the first few days of being back at home after a long stay, patients are more prone to being readmitted. This is why nutritional meals and a health care plan are so vital. The program reacts quickly and thoroughly. As soon as a patient puts in an order with Humana, they are quick to deliver the meals assuming the health provider says that it's ok.
Humana Well Dine is one of the nation’s leading supplemental benefits companies, serving millions of customers since its beginning, roughly 50 years ago! There are many Humana health care plans, insurances, food assistance programs and many other Humana services. All of these programs coincide and work together.
We thought the taste, reheating quality and consistent convenience of Stouffer's frozen dinners were better than the quality of prepared senior meals provided by Humana Dine Well.
There is no reason that your loved one or you should have to worry about where your next nutritious, healthy meal made just for you will come from. After a long stay in a health facility, it is very important to stay monitored so that your health stays up to par and you don't revisit where you came from. Humana Well Dine is there with you and your loved ones every step of the way to their recovery, and they provide so many wonderful supplemental programs, there is no way that you and your loved ones won't recover.
Humana’s program claims they provide 100 percent nutritious and healthy meals daily, no "fake" food, and all food will be precooked so that there is no risk for diseases. Humana is dedicated to knowing their members and serving their members with the utmost respect, but also catering healthy meals to improve the health of each and every Humana member.
Our Humana Prepared Meal Review
Humana explains on their website that their meal delivery is arranged through Independent Living Systems, or ILS, and when a member requests meals, Humana and ILS fax the information to the member's health care provider. Once the health care provider has received this information, they have 24 hours to either cancel, approve or change the request due to health concerns.
No 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
These prepared senior meals are poor in quality, at best. The seals on the trays break, there is excessive water in the food compartments that drown out the meals, and the meal components are cheap. ILS sources their meals through Traditions Meal Solutions. Here are some Humana/ILS/Traditions prepared senior meals we have tried. "Well Dine" is a huge reach describing these meals.
Humana Senior Meals We Would Order Again
- None - In our onion, you could do better buying frozen meals at the supermarket than what we experienced from this senior meal delivery service. We think the supermarket meals would be less expensive, taste better, and more nutritional options.
Humana Senior Meals We Would Not Reorder
Chicken & Penne Pasta Alfredo
This meal is nothing more than a thin frozen chicken breast you can get at any Costco or Sam's or BJ's shoppers club with some very plain and unseasoned frozen carrots and frozen corn added to the tray. All of the components of this meal were watery, including the Alfredo Sauce.
Breaded Pork Cutlet
If we were going to review this meal based on it being edible, it would pass, but just barely. The Breaded Pork Cutlet is very thin, in fact, the two sides of breading are larger than the pork inside. The spinach was watery, as was the apple sauce.
Ham with White Beans
It is amazing to us that this prepared meal somehow escaped all the quality control points and made it to our home. You can imagine what the cheap canned vegetables taste like because you've had them too. We didn't dare feed the Ham with White Beans to our loved ones, and we don't think you would either. This meal was tossed for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Breaded Fish Wedge
The Breaded Fish Wedge was edible but the black-eyed peas looked like they were not drained and rinsed from the thick goo they come in in the can. The Broccoli looks more like dust or bits leftover from other culinary uses.
Cheese Omelet
Our omelet barely had enough cheese to be able to call it a cheese omelet. This one is machine made, which is not so unusual when you buy prepared meals at this price point. The rest of the breakfast can be found in the freezer section of your local supermarket and cost a lot less if you plated it yourself.
Veal Parmesan
Like both the Lasagna's and so many prepared senior meals we have had delivered, this one was thrown away due to excessive water damage. We couldn't get the frozen, commercially manufactured Veal Patty out of the tray without breaking. This meal went right to the garbage, as you do too.
BBQ Chicken Breast
This is the same mass produced frozen chicken breast with a little BBQ Sauce thinly covering it. There is not enough to provide any flavor, and you cans till see the machine-made grill marks on the patty. The sides are cheap, plain, and unseasoned.
Chicken Strips
If you get bored eating the same frozen mass produced chicken breasts, you can now have one cut up in three pieces as strips. The sides of spinach and corn we have already seen in our meals, and there is no change in their quality or taste.
Meatballs with Rice and Gravy
Everything on this plate can easily be found in the freezer section of your local grocer, except for the rice. It is becoming disappointing to us that people would pay into an insurance policy to provide for themselves in case they are in a situation where meals have to be delivered to them. And this is the quality of the food they get.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
This meal was delivered with excessive water in the tray that drowned out the sauce into a watery and tasteless mess. The meatballs are frozen fare you can get at your local market and we see some canned veggies round out a meal we ended up throwing away.
Beef Patty
We don't know how many times we can talk about canned corn and broccoli bits, as they seem to be the favorite side and vegetable for these meals, but at least this time they were not drowned in excessive water. The beef patty is as about as commercially machine made as you can get. We've seen them sold on microwaveable sandwiches in gas stations. The picture doesn't lie, the meal is terrible.
Any Meal with Meatloaf or Salisbury Steak in the Title
If you order Meatloaf or Salisbury Steal meals, you'll get the same thing, another commercially processed patty shaped entree in gravy. We wonder what kind of meat goes in these. The diced red potatoes are a refreshing change but they are mushy and the string beans are standard fare.
Chicken and Dumplings
The name conjures up visions of one of Mom's classic comfort meals, but the name is as close as it gets. The chicken still has a "canned" aftertaste to it from not being rinsed fully, and the few noodles that come with the meal are all overcooked. Paired with a helping of canned vegetables, and some excessive water damage, we appreciated our Mom's a little more.
Beef Chili Mac
If you were to try this blindfolded you probably would not know what you were eating, at least we didn't. The meat and sauce are flavorless and the elbow macaroni is overcooked. The diced carrots and string bean bits both came out of a can.
Meat Lasagna
At least some new frozen vegetables arrive on the plate for this meal. But look at the sorry Meat Lasagna and the usually small portion size sitting atop another watery and flavorless sauce. It's sad our seniors and elderly have this to look forward too.
Cheese Lasagna
And just when you think it can't get any worse, our Meat Lasagna is followed up with this Cheese Lasagna. We couldn't get it out of the tray, it ended up in the garbage.
Meatballs and Shells
Maybe you can write the last review for us. It should be pretty easy and include cheap frozen meatballs, plain unseasoned vegetables from a can, overcooked pasta, and a watery sauce. Did you get it? Great job, now it's time to go any empty your garbage can.
Biscuits and Gravy
we don't see "Biscuits," as the name implies. We see half of a biscuit, which is actually okay because it microwaved into a rock and the gravy just awful as you can probably gather from the picture. The potatoes were okay, and we were surprised they weren't mushy or water logged.
In Summary
These meals are not really prepared at all. For the most part, you can go to any Costco or B.J. Wholesale and buy frozen food in large quantities. You can also get frozen vegetables and put these frozen meal components in your own microwave tray. That is what these meals are, simply assembled frozen food purchased in bulk. Not only would the quality and portion sizes be better, you would probably save a lot of money. Even better yet, just maintain an inventory of frozen meals from your local market. They will be better too.
Shared Experiences from Other Family Caregivers
I Will Never Forget the Expression on My Dad's Face when He Tried these Meals
"I am not a Humana client, but I did buy Traditions senior meals used by Humana when they used to sell directly to the public. I bought them because it was right after my Mom passed away and I needed to get something in the house for dad. I was on a very tight budget at the time and chose Tradition Meal Solutions because each meal was about $4 at the time. I purchased a breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 21-day meal plan, and threw out more than half of the meals. I will never forget the expression on my Dad's face when he tried the first few meals. It was almost like he was thinking: "Is my life now?" Granted, it was an emotional time, but I could have done better. I could not agree more with your fair and honest review of this senior meal service, and I hope other family caregivers don't fall into the same trap I did."
-W. Martinson, New York
Broken Seals on the Trays and No Contact Number
"I wish they could delivered trays that came sealed and food packaging that did not come punctured and unusable. No emergency number if there is a problem. No way to make up lost, thawed or late deliveries"
-Cooper Dowda
Gulf Coast Florida
I Would Rather Starve then Eat Another One of these So-Called Regular Meals
"I am a Humana insurance holder I was recently in a rehab hospital after I had neck surgery. This is the second box that I have received since being home the first box only 4 meals were salvageable the other six we're beyond recognizable as they looked like they were blown up completely smashed to nothing the second delivery only 2 were destroyed. The food is nasty I have never eaten chicken that don't even look like chicken it tasted like rubber all the meat looks fake and taste that way too plus all the water that is in the packages it waters down the meal thanks but no thanks I would rather starve then eat another one of these so called regular meals."
-Susanne Wescott, Visalia, CA
Humanna Insurance Holder
I was Excited About Getting the Meals Until I Opened the Box
"I was just discharged from the hospital with a heart episode and other issues from a hospital stay. My insurance case manager nurse said she could send me home ten free meals and I was all for it. Living alone and not feeling like fixing much. Couldn't stand up for long periods of time. I thought this would help me greatly. I was excited about getting the meals until I opened the box and saw what was shipped. Three of the frozen dinners were busted up. The meals themselves look freezer burned? Already. All of the bread packages were crushed. The dry ice had also "exploded" all over. I couldn't figure out how this happened at the outside packaging/foam was all still ok, so the breaking of the frozen dinners had to happen before it was packed in a box maybe? Anyway, very disappointed. I hope that Humana doesn't have a long contract with this company. Lots of our insurance money being wasted."
-Kimberly Howze, Waco Texas
Humana Insurance Holder
Shame on You Humana!
"Every review of these meals is them being very poor. Why is Humana continuing to contract this company for these meals while expounding on the healthy quality of them. I concur, the quality of the food is very poor, the ingredients are not organic (which I was told most of them are when I called Well Dine), lots of sugar, salt and artificial flavors, all elements known to be unhealthy. No mention of whether GMO ingredients are used. It is criminal to be serving this kind of food to people who are not well and in recovery, and some from serious illnesses and surgeries.
Doctors order anti-inflammatory meal plans and ILS has complex carbs in every meal. It's criminal to be serving this kind of food to anyone. You call yourselves a "health organization"...do you mean "poor health organization" and what kind of concept do you have of what "healthy nutrition" is? It's criminal again to have our money wasted like this. I would not have ordered the meals had I seen this site. I thought calling well dine would be enough to learn what's real about the food. Shame on you Humana!"
-Maria, Kihei Hawaii
Humana Insurance Holder
I Must Have Gotten the Good Ones
"Saw the bad reviews on this meals but must have got the good ones. All that I ate where good. Some extra good. Only one broken & I could still use it. Was happy to have them while sick."
-Mary Fleming
Bloomingdale, Georgia
Most of the Elderly Folks I've Spoken with Have Said They Would Rather Starve
"I only have one question for Humana.....How have you not received a class action lawsuit for all the elderly folks you have made sick with your so-called healthy meals plan for the elderly. Humana prides itself on being the TOP health and well-being insurance company in the nation. So please tell me why they would allow such slop to ever be given to anyone especially when they have been made aware of this issue through several different reviews. I move that there should be a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT brought up against Humana and the company Humana uses to give these poor elderly folks meals. Most of the elderly folks I've spoken with have said they would rather starve then get sick off the slop that Humana is trying to pass off as a "HEALTHY MEAL PLAN FOR SENIORS!" I will be moving very soon to bring up a class action lawsuit plan with my attorney and see what can be done about this travesty. Thank You"
-Justin Randall
Springdale, Arkansas
No Advance Notice When Meals are Coming
"Three quarters of the meals i have eaten are good. I don't eat black beans unless mixed with something which they do. I have been given no advance notice when meals are coming. had to get a small freezer when all wouldn't fit in refrigerator but luckily had the money and can use it for other foods too. just wish had advance notice when meals are coming."
-Lillian Dunn
Hickory, NC
They Are What They Are
"I like the meals; they are what they are. Food prepackaged to help me to live In my Home. I am Handicapped, Mentally challenged due to falling. I have Balance Issues and Sensory Issues. I want to live in my Home. It is hard for me to stand up and cook at any length of time. It is hard for me to make decisions on what to eat. They are clean, Frozen in dry ice I am amazed easy it is to put in the microwave for 5-8 mins and cook, pour a glass of milk, or drink the choose out of the carton., and a slice of Bread. Better than the Hospital in my own surroundings. Thank you for the opportunity to be able to Heal in my own Home. "
-Denise Greco
Ormond Beach, FL
Submitted Reviews and Comments
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