Some care companies should be ashamed of themselves

[Dothisdothat23]

I've started working for one who said they offered minimum 1 hour visits, a small team of carers per client and an introductory meeting between the client and carer before care takes place.

None of this has happened, I get sent all over the place as I drive and some of the clients tell me they've had so many different carers they can't keep track. I know sometimes it's inevitable in times of sickness etc. But this isn't good enough.

I met some clients during shadowing but there are many I go to for the first time who I've never met, it must be distressing for them not knowing who's going to walk through their door.

Not sticking to agreed times with clients. 1 client has a 9:30am call and has had for a long time, the office put her call at 7am one day without informing her, and she thought she was being burgled when she heard someone in her property at 7am and was upset.

I know it isn't always easy for care companies and nothing can run 100% smoothly, but their website is full of false promises. I'm looking for another company but worry they're all the same. Has anyone had similar experiences?

They also have stipulations about being no more than 20 minutes late or early either side, however this doesn't seem to be adhered to. That said, the way the rotas are made doesn't make it easy, they will have two clients on the same road but send you to a client 4 miles away in between the two, only to come back again.

I've heard of this happening in other companies sadly from friends in the industry.

My relatives carers were (mostly) lovely. The organisation of carers was dreadful
Lunch 2 hours late or not at all, bedtime call at 7pm, wake up at 6.45 instead of 9am
She had dementia and this all caused no end of confusion and upset for her

Sorry to hear that. It's awful isn't it, I understand it's difficult to rota every bed call for say 8-10pm, but most clients don't want to be put to bed at 6:30pm. It makes you dread getting older.

MIL tried 3 different companies and honestly, they were all shite. Different carers every day, the times of the visits were all over the place, and they rarely stayed for more than 20 minutes. DH and his sister ended up picking up the jobs the carers should have been doing.

Actually, to add to that, I want to say that the majority of the carers were lovely, and i dont blame them at all!

My relatives experience was that her carers were present for a fraction of the time that they should be.
Considering some clients have no other contact during the day, it's a disgrace that they are short changed.

I'm an adult social worker and this is pretty typical. I could only think of 2 companies that don't do this. There's no agency in my area working past 9pm so those needing assistance to bed need to go early. I work with Autistic people who's care rarely works for them because routine and familiarity is important and they can't cope with the poor time keeping and strangers turning up. It's an absolute joke and something needs to be done.
Have you considered being a PA? There's a shortage in my area and many people prefer that over an agency for the consistency and having choice and control over who supports them.

It really does make you dread getting older and being dependent on others like this.