Since Home & Company started we’ve enjoyed moving with our clients, adapting to their needs and building in additional or alternative help. As our needs change, so the help we need changes and in a bid to be a one-stop-shop we’ve found ourselves helping people and their families in a more holistic way with choosing what’s next.
We were asked to recruit a full-time ‘house-keeper’ for Mr & Mrs H. Although older, they are both in reasonable health but wanted help with cooking and other tasks around the house, and someone to be there to help them as their needs increase over the years. They were determined to stay in their own home and felt that having a housekeeper would be a way of ensuring that. Home & Company advertised for the position and shortlisted applicants. The family carried out the face to face interviews with the shortlisted candidates and made the appointment. The successful candidate started working with the couple a few weeks later and all is going well.
It’s great to have arranged full time help as a way of planning for the future, but we’ve also arranged live-in care in response to a crisis. Another couple, Mr & Mrs D, who we’ve been helping at home for the last year or so, were suddenly plunged into crisis. Mrs D, carer for her husband in his 90’s, broke her hip and was whisked into hospital. The paramedics were aware that Mr D couldn’t be left and so he went along for the ride, but by the following day the hospital were trying to find somewhere for him to stay whilst Mrs D recovered. Their son asked Home & Company if we could help find a live-in carer at short notice to prevent Mr D being placed in a care home. By the following day Home & Company had used its local knowledge and networks to put in place a very experienced live-in carer. Three months on, Mrs D is back at home, and the family have made the live-in position permanent as a way of Mr & Mrs D remaining in their own home. It’s worth noting that the house is a good size so everyone can have their own space. Funding live-in care can be a concern to people. We can signpost you to some tried and tested financial advisors who are specially accredited to work with older people and can help with equity release and other appropriate schemes. We are aware that we can’t always find the answer and so we also signpost people to a well-established and experienced live-in care agency who have the capacity to set up care very quickly, anywhere in the country. We’ve also used them to provide respite care for a few weeks for clients, following discharge from hospital, so it can be a great option for the short term too.
Staying at home is not the answer for everyone though. The responsibilities of running a home can become a burden, and the idea of having a live-in carer in your home can also seem uncomfortable and rather intense for some. We’ve made it our business to get to know the local care homes and have worked along side a number of families to identify the right home and help with that tricky transition time by continuing our visits and trips out. We’ve also got to know a lot of the sheltered housing and extra sheltered housing options locally. Many of our clients live in them and there is no better knowledge than insider knowledge!
We learn something new everyday, so by no means do we think our job us done! But if you do think you would like us to help you with considering what’s next we’d love to help.