Online food deliveries – a whole new world of home dining options!

If, like us, you remember the grey old days where the idea of a take-away meant an uninspiring choice between the local chip shop or a dodgy Chinese you'll be excited to see how much the take-away market has exploded over the past few years.

Even better, nowadays you don't have to row about who's going to fetch it! Online ordering and super quick delivery options take all the drama (and bickering) out of it – assuming of course you can decide which food you want! Thai? Caribbean? Eur-asian? Or a good reliable pizza? So much choice – although to be fair also so much opportunity for something else to disagree on…..

But family arguments aside, you've no doubt seen adverts for the likes of Deliveroo, Just Eat! or Uber-Eats – and maybe marvelled at the choice and convenience of it all. Ordering online for many things, not just take-aways, has become second nature for much of the population. It really came into its own during the pandemic and is a no brainer option for older people who don't have time or inclination to cook.

However, the one problem with all this for many elderly people is the confidence to use the internet to actually place the order, and this is where online support for the elderly comes in. You can order from a smart phone, tablet, iPad or computer – deciding which to use is a personal choice but smaller screens can present a problem with how much you can view and the ease of navigating the website you're using. And selecting the food can often involve a lot of scrolling through different pages, clicking between one thing and another and making sure you're ordering the right number of dishes (22 pizzas anyone? No, us neither).

Then there is the issue of paying. Payment methods online for these sites is most often very secure and your details will be fine, but it can take a leap of faith for an elderly person to have confidence that their details are in safe hands and sure that they're not about to be scammed. We've all seen horror stories in the press about people falling victim to online fraudsters – caution is no bad thing when you're paying online but don't let it put you off!

And for all this, don't let your lack of experience with online ordering, or your concerns about paying online, put you off. There are lots of people and organisations out there helping older people make the most of the internet. Take a look at what we at Senior Surf can do to help. Whether it be private computer lessons at home, or external computer courses for beginners. There is a brilliant new world of dining options out there, ready to be whisked to your door in minutes. And what a fun thing to do if you have family coming round or for an evening with friends for a catch up and gossip – no fretting about catering and buying food in – you can all decide together what you want and when (bickering is not allowed!). If you're nervous about setting up an account with one of the delivery services give us a call and we can help. Or ask a young relative – chances are they use them all the time and can set you up in minutes.

Bon appetit!