Companion service
Meal preparation
Familiar food, cooked at home, by someone who knows the dishes.
Meal preparation is non-medical help with everyday food, in the person's own kitchen. A companion cooks the dishes the household already eats, to the taste it is used to, and leaves enough for the days in between. You choose someone who knows the cuisine, so nothing has to be explained first.
What a visit looks like
Dal the way it has always been made. Rice that comes out right. A soup for a cold week, and something in the fridge for tomorrow. The companion cooks with the person or for them, whichever the day calls for, and the kitchen is left as they found it.
Some visits are about one good meal eaten together. Others are a few hours of batch cooking so the freezer is stocked. The companion learns which dishes matter and how spicy is spicy enough.
What a companion does
- Cooking everyday meals in the person's own kitchen, to their taste
- Familiar dishes from the cuisine they grew up with
- Planning the week's meals and writing the shopping list
- Cooking in batches and portioning for the days ahead
- Following food preferences and restrictions the family has already set
- Eating together, if that is wanted
- Washing up and leaving the kitchen tidy
What a companion does not do
- Deciding a diet, or advice about nutrition, weight, or what someone should eat
- Preparing a therapeutic or clinical diet without instructions the family has already been given
- Texture-modified or tube feeding prescribed by a clinician
- Feeding someone who cannot swallow safely on their own
- Giving medication with food, or deciding when it is taken
Saheli is non-medical. Companions do not replace family, nurses, doctors, or personal support workers. They add something different: human presence.
On every visit, whatever the service, a companion does not provide:
- Counselling or therapy
- Advice about health, treatment, diet, legal matters, or money
- Lifting or transferring someone who cannot bear their own weight
- Handling money or signing documents
- Nursing or medical care, including injections, wound care, or monitoring a health condition
- Administering medication. A companion does not give, measure, sort, or apply it, or decide anything about it. Reminders for a plan already set are fine
- Anything that needs a regulated health professional
For anything medical, speak to a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. In an emergency, call 911.
Who this is for
People who want good, familiar food without doing all the cooking, and families who want to know someone is eating well.
At home
Someone cooking for one
When it is only you, cooking stops feeling worth the effort and toast becomes dinner. A companion who cooks makes a proper meal worth sitting down for.
For a younger person
A child with additional needs, and a family cooking around them
Familiar food, the way they will actually eat it, and the same plate at the same hour when that is what settles the day. The family says what they eat and what they must avoid, and a companion cooks to it exactly. They never decide a child's diet or go outside what the family has set.
Recovering
Someone home after a hospital stay, a procedure, or an illness
Standing at a stove is tiring when you are getting your strength back. A companion cooks, stocks the fridge, and follows any food instructions the family has been given.
Familiar food
Someone who misses the food of home
A companion who knows the cuisine cooks the dishes a person grew up with, in the way their family made them. That is comfort no meal service can deliver.
For families and caregivers
A family that cannot cook there every day
You work, or you live far away, or you are stretched thin. A companion you choose cooks a few times a week, so you know there is real food in the house.
In a retirement or care home
Someone whose meals come from a kitchen they did not choose
Where a home allows it, a companion can bring or cook a familiar dish and share it. A taste of home, within the home's rules.
Everyday help
Someone who would rather cook together than alone
Cooking is more fun with company. A companion helps with the chopping, the lifting, and the parts that have become hard, and the person stays in charge of their own kitchen.
How it works
- 01
Browse companions
Use the filters to find people who fit your language, community, and needs.
- 02
Choose who feels right
Review companions and decide who you want to meet. Nobody gets assigned to you.
- 03
Agree on the details
You and the companion set the visits, tasks, and hourly rate before care starts.
Companions who offer this
Each companion sets their own hourly rate, and you see it before you book.
Dedicated caregiver with a passion for supporting seniors age with dignity.
Activities of daily living note below:- bathing Toileting grooming Feeding Walks Medication reminders Exercises Errands Companionship
I’m passionate about helping others, building meaningful connections, and creating a safe, welcoming environment.
A warm, caring, and dependable companion dedicated to person-centered care.
I’m a caring, patient, and reliable person with a PSW background and a degree in psychology.
I am Dedicated and compassionate Personal Support Worker with over 2 years of experience providing high-quality, patient-centered care.
Questions
Who buys the groceries?
You do, or you agree it with the companion. Many companions offer errands as well, so the shop can be part of the visit. The family pays for the food; the companion is paid for their time.
Can a companion cook dishes from our culture?
Yes. Search by language and community and read each companion's profile. Many companions list the cuisines they cook. You choose who feels right.
Can a companion cook for diabetes, low salt, or another restriction?
They can follow instructions the family or a doctor has already given, such as low salt or no sugar. A companion does not decide a diet or give nutrition advice. For that, speak to a doctor or dietitian.
Will the companion eat with the person?
If that is wanted, yes. For many people the meal together is the point of the visit. Agree it with the companion before visits start.
How much food can they make in one visit?
That depends on the length of the visit and the kitchen. A common pattern is one meal to eat together and two or three portions for the days ahead. You and the companion agree what a visit covers.
What does meal preparation cost?
Each companion sets their own hourly rate for meal preparation, shown on their profile before you book. Saheli adds a service fee as its own line before checkout, and the companion keeps their full rate.
Find care that feels like family
Browse vetted companions, matched on language and the traditions that already feel like home.