About Age Concern & Cleaners ?

[Namechangeagain101]

I’m fully prepared to be told I am.

Spoke to my Dad tonight who at 72 has rapidly gone downhill. He now needs a tri-walker to steady himself. He lives about 2 hrs away & as a family we are currently actively trying to relocate him in our village.
He said he had a visit/assessment from Age Concern to see if he qualifies for a cleaner - which he does at £17.50 an hour !!!!
I was kinda 😵 - how much !
He said ‘but they said it was the best option because they are trustworthy ‘
AIBU to think it’s a lot of £££ ?

It does seem a lot. I pay £11 an hour.

In case it’s wasn’t clear - he pays

Can you not find him a cleaner?

@BettyBaggins - that was the first offer I made but being a stubborn old man he has been convinced this is the safest option

I think Age Concern have a list of cleaners they recommend. You can use them or find another yourself. I contacted them for my dad age 78 and the one they recommended was about the going rate for the area where he lives. They direct people to services or tradespeople who can help and are trustworthy (as far as possible!). My dad also needed a handrail and they had a few builders they recommend.

They "sell" it because the people are DBS checked and monitored by a known name. It depends how vulnerable you think he is as to whether you think this is a worthwhile premium; ultimately it's his decision.

Home care [personal care] is even more expensive if bought privately...

Age concern do have a reputation for not offering the best prices. I remember from a while back that they were slated for offering insurance premiums that were significantly higher than could be found elsewhere.

Could you google some articles and show then to your dad as evidence that age concern may not be acting in his best interests?

Could the AC cleaner provide a bit more of a service than just a cleaner. A bit of tidying up, maybe make a cup of tea and have a chat as well. If they specifically work with older people they probably are a bit more suitable to interacting with them.