Finding good carers

[RememberDecember]

How have people gone about this? Both my parents have dementia but my dad is virtually bed bound from mobility issues. He is on a council funded reablement package and will need to self fund soon as the 6 weeks is nearly up. I was hoping to continue with the council appointed carers but haven’t been impressed.

Do good carers via agency exist? They will need at least 3 visits a day so they will be seeing them a lot. I don’t have any local recommendations, wishing we had made it to some of the dementia cafes to find out more locally.

What are the issues you have found with the council arranged carers?

Have you had any contact with the district nursing team? If you have they might give you a heads up which the agencies are they trust more than others.

In my local authority the consistently good agencies tend to be the ones that are too expensive to be on the local authority provider list but there are still some good agencies on the LA list as well - it's just a bit more hit and miss.

Sometimes its a matter or personal taste - As a social worker I know which agencies will suit a particular family and not others. The very prim and proper agencies are great for some clients who like things done a certain way but wouldn't suit other families that benefit from a more robust approach. There's some agencies/ carers who have carers that are perhaps a bit more rough round the edges but do an amazing job of connecting with certain clients. It's about finding the right fit as much as anything

I read up on any agency CQC reports that covered our area and made a list of who was local enough with a good / recent report. Some were already fully booked but luckily an outstanding one had availability to do regular visits to my dad.

That is a good suggestion @norbert23.

@hatgirl i just haven’t found them at all proactive, plus have found medication on the floor (presumably not taken). There is no ‘personal touch’ or connection, it is just the bare minimum of what needs to be done. I don’t know if that is just what to expect from all of them, I know it is a minimum wage job that a lot of people would never choose to do.

None of the professionals will offer any sort of opinion on which agencies they would recommend. I can understand why but I feel like I’m going into it blind!

Can you post on a local fb, mnet local or nextdoor page asking for reccomendations?

I too suggest posting on a local facebook site.

My DM's private carers (recommended by someone local) are pretty good.
She has a preferred visit time and they try to be not more than 15mins either side of that. It isn't always the same lady but she can express a preference. They have been pretty reliable, though Mum would prefer fewer different carers.

They use an app which means I can see the schedule and also the visit logs.

If you need a different time eg due to an appointment they will accommodate.

She has 1 visit a day and it is about £200 per week.

Out of all the carers my late friend and relative (by marriage) had (and there were two companies involved, both recommended by the council) only two of them were good. The rest were well out of their depth as well as exploited by the company for who they worked. Did their next of kin give a fig, no.

I had no say in this matter at all but if it had been my decision, this person would have gone straight into a care home rather than their home. I knew carers would not work out and so it was. She was doubly incontinent and bed bound. She did go into a care home after some rounds of home, hospital and rehabilitation unit.

Unless caring is seen as a valued profession or as something other than akin to cleaning offices, what this person went through will continue.

I used the Curam platform with success. It was suggested on MN

I have tried a local FB group but anyone that was recommended was full, which I guess is to be expected. Have asked to be added to waiting list.

I have 2 agencies in mind, one local and Home Instead. Does anyone have experience of them? I know a franchise so could vary, just wondering if they do anything less than 1 hr visits if having multiple visits a day (4).

I’m seeing Home Instead tomorrow, really hoping they are good as running out of options.

Good luck- was impressed with home instead. Hope they can help you.

We have been super-lucky to have found superb care for my Fil, with four visits a day. The small company that provide it are brilliant. Its complete peace of mind for us and reassurance and company for him, its professional but its expensive. My DM's experience with council care was a stressful nightmare by comparison. No easy answers. I would pray for the right care - seriously!

@GreenCandleWax I am hoping this will be an improvement, frankly the council provided care was so poor that there is nothing to lose by trying this instead. Other than the cost, but I’m trying to put that to one side and justify that it will be worth it if good.

New care agency starts tomorrow, fingers crossed they are good!

@RememberDecember can I be cheeky and ask which agency you went with? I'm going to have to organise some care for my dad soon and I'm dreading it

I used Home Instead @shellyleppard

I'm stressing about how it will go though, hence on here at this time!

@RememberDecember thank you and I hope it works out for you x

Dad just called… and said how good the carers were😄 What a relief!

Great news! Well done. Get done sleep tonight.

Yes good careers exist. Most soon move on as the pay and hours are redicolous.

Hit and misswith finding careers. You can really just hope the best.