Need short-term live-in carer

[Rubydoobydoobydoo]

My 70-year-old cousin has been carer for her 86-year-old husband for the last few years. He's deaf, doddery and has continence issues — requires daily help with dressing and bathing. He's mentally sharp but used to regular attention.

A week ago she was pushed over by a runner and broke and dislocated her ankle. After several days in hospital it was pinned and she was sent home 36-hours after a GA. Till this point her husband was being cared for at home by a stream of friends and neighbours who did what they could. Before she came home a care assessment was carried out, which resulted in her getting no support but two 20-minute visits (one morning, one evening) to get her husband up and dressed. My cousin is struggling to move from one room to another using the walker, hopping on one leg. Any thought of her being able to cook and clean up, let alone carry out other basic housework, is ridiculous. She is quite scared of them being alone at night because she's can't respond quickly if he falls or gets into trouble.

I'm going tomorrow and will stay for a week to do what I can, but I'll need to make arrangements for when I leave. Someone has suggested that it might be possible to get someone to live-in for a fortnight to help her recover. Can anyone recommend agencies? Can they supply someone who'll do cooking and possibly a bit of cleaning, as well as basic care? Can one carer manage two people in these circumstances?

Thanks in advance: never had to deal with this sort of situation before.

Depends where you are if you're looking for recommendations.

Some care agencies will provide 24 hour cadets. When my mum was discharged from hospital a couple of years ago, an interim 24 hour package was out in place for her whilst as assessment was carried out. I'm sure some agencies would be able to provide thst level of care for someone who is self funding.

East Anglia: Suffolk.

Money isn't the issue, but knowing which companies offer the best service is difficult. If anyone has experience and can recommend or warn me off, I'd be grateful.

www.homeinstead.co.uk

I know someone who works for this organisation. I also know people who have used them who would certainly recommend them. They have local branches but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the ones near you. Worth a call? Good luck.

Country Cousins Care agency,I had dealings with them in Hampshire,may be country wide. They did provide live in care packages, short term and long term, personal care and cooking. Any agency is likely to have waking and sleeping care rates

Thank you. I'll contact both in the morning. 4-6 weeks with a live-in carer should see my cousin back on her feet — though obviously it'll take a lot longer than that to get full mobility. One of her neighbours has a cleaner who may be able to come in for a few hours a week, so that will help too.

Country cousins wear fab when we needed someone for a similar situation. Expensive but worth it

Maybe use ‘cook’ for easy meals. They are delivered and they just order meals for two. It’s the main component and some you just add pasta or whatever. Might be handy in general even if they just use for a few meals a week for things that take longer to prep.

Thank you. It turns out that someone I know and like very much used to be a Country Cousin and she's just the kind of person you'd want around the house in these circumstances. I did ask her whether she'd consider it but she's now a carer for her own parents and her dad's due to have surgery at the end of the month.

Home Instead are brilliant.

Also universal aunts - posh but sensible and lovely people.

Thank you. I've applied to both. Now setting off on the 350 mile, six-hour drive...

I contacted Country Cousins on my cousin's behalf and I was very impressed: they could have someone here in a few days and for the service offered it didn't seem wildly expensive. I was all for going ahead, but my cousin and her husband are now wavering because they're not sure they want a stranger living in 24/7...

I think what they'd really like is a friend or one of their trusted neighbours to come in and sleep over each night. They told me that they only had a carer coming in morning and evening to help dress and undress the husband, but there's actually a carer here three times a day and although she's only allotted half an hour each time, the lunchtime slot involves very little in terms of personal care. So she's said that she will do lunch for them every day. If we can combine that with a cleaner they may be okay. What they really want is someone like me here for the next six weeks, but that's impossible, so...