Home care service
Mealtime feeding assistance
Mealtime feeding assistance is calm, unhurried help at the table for someone who finds eating and drinking difficult — so meals stay safe, dignified and nourishing.
Is this the right kind of help?
You might recognize some of these:
- Meals take a long time and often end unfinished because they’re tired
- There’s coughing, throat-clearing or a wet-sounding voice during or after eating
- A tremor, weakness or limited reach makes using cutlery frustrating
- They’re eating and drinking less, and losing weight
- You’re anxious every mealtime about choking or food going down the wrong way
If a few of those ring true, a conversation with a care coordinator is a good next step — there’s no obligation.
What’s included
- Setting up the meal — posture upright, plate and cup within reach, distractions off
- Offering food and drink at the person’s own pace, with time between mouthfuls
- Prompting and hand-over-hand help, only as much as is needed
- Following any guidance from the family or a speech and language therapist on textures and thickened fluids
- Encouraging fluids through the day, not just at meals
- Watching for and reporting coughing, pocketing of food, refusal or weight change
The exact tasks are set in a written care plan you approve, and adjusted as needs change.
How Selectives delivers it
The pace is everything. A rushed meal is where things go wrong, so our caregivers slow down — small amounts, unhurried, plenty of time, no pressure to clear the plate.
We work to whatever a clinician has advised: the texture of food, the thickness of drinks, positioning. We don’t make those clinical judgments ourselves, but we follow them carefully and tell you if something isn’t working.
Who it’s for
This suits people living with advanced dementia, the effects of a stroke, Parkinson’s, or severe arthritis, and anyone whose eating has become slow, unsafe or distressing — usually alongside meal preparation and personal care.
Typical schedules
- A caregiver present for the main meal each day
- Cover for breakfast and lunch while the family works
- All three meals as part of a daily care package
Care agreements run for a minimum of three months, with two weeks’ notice required to cancel the agreement. Visits have a five-hour minimum and no weekly minimum. Please give 24 hours’ notice to change or cancel a visit; there is no late cancellation fee.
What it costs and how to pay
Pricing is provided after a nurse evaluates your needs. Visits have a five-hour minimum, with no minimum weekly hours. There is currently no additional rate for evening, overnight or live-in care.
Invoices are issued weekly or every two weeks, as agreed. We accept checks and bank transfers. No deposit or card on file is required.
Private pay is our primary focus, and we also work with long-term care insurance and Veterans benefits. Selectives also participates as a Maryland Medicaid provider under the Community Options Program; Medicaid services are subject to eligibility, authorization, program requirements, service availability and other applicable requirements. Contact our care team to discuss your needs and available options.
Mealtime feeding assistance: common questions
Is this safe if my mother has swallowing problems?
Caregivers follow the plan set by your mother’s speech and language therapist or doctor — food textures, fluid thickness, upright positioning, pacing — and are trained to recognize and respond to signs of trouble. They don’t diagnose or change clinical guidance themselves.
What’s the difference between this and meal preparation?
Meal preparation is planning, shopping and cooking. Mealtime feeding assistance is the hands-on help at the table while the person eats. Many families need both, and one caregiver can do both in the same visit.
Can the caregiver help with thickened fluids?
Yes. Caregivers prepare drinks to the thickness level advised, offer them regularly through the day, and report if your loved one is refusing fluids or struggling.
Who decides how much help is given?
The written care plan, based on what you tell us and any clinical guidance. The goal is to give only as much help as is needed, so the person keeps doing what they still can for themselves.
Talk to someone today
A free, no-pressure conversation about what your family needs — call us, or start online and we’ll call you back.