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Elderly parents
Original poster

Tell me about the care your parent(s) buy in

26 replies

Hergest · 06/02/2026 10:58

My Mum is 93 and has poor mobility and very little strength/energy after a hospital stay last summer, but is still able to get to the loo, make a cup of tea, do an online shop. Just tires too qucikly to cook, and can't reach/bend enough to use appliances or dress and undress. She is definitely better than she was but now seems to have 'plateaud'.

Her current care package (2x2 hr) now seems to be more than is needed and the carers often leave early.

I would love to hear what your EPs carers do and how long it takes them (and also if you don't mind sharing, what you pay, wehre you are, and what sort of 'rotation'.

I think there are quite a few of us on these boards who would value this kind of information exchange. ( I will make another post to share what my Mum's do in the less-than-2 hours!)

🙂🙂

OP posts:
Original poster
Hergest · 06/02/2026 11:52

Mum's carers tend not to stay for the full two hours (even though they are paid, albeit at £30 / hr which I know is not bad for the SE where she is)
In the morning they bring her tea, deal with the commode (only wee) prep her breakfast (she likes fruit etc on her cereal) unmake her bed (sleeps in riser recliner), help her wash and dress, prep her lunch and leave it on the side, clear and tidy the kitchen.

In the evening similar, with a heated ready meal plus maybe some fresh veg.

Approx weekly she will have a hairwash, there will be an online food delivery to unpack and put away, parcels or milk might need bringing in or bins emptying. Also help with eg re-ordering meds, making GP appointments on the dreaded NHS app. They also do a load of laundry approx weekly.

They are very good and reliable in that they report to us if they have concerns eg with her swollen legs, cracked skin etc.

Muym does have a cleaner (£15/hr) who isn't needed very often but might be able to take over some eg the laundry if she was available more.

If it was realistic to do all this in an hour Mum might be able to eke out her savings for a bit longer. But I'm not sure how realistic that is, and 1.5 hours of the more flexible agencies is very close to what we pay for two hours with this one.

Just interested to know what carers can actually do in an hour!

OP posts: