Communication from Care company

[FiveFoxes]

My Mum has Alzheimer's and has care visits every morning and evenings when I can't be there.

When she was only having a couple of visits a week, the carer used to text me little things like "I've put a wash on" or "Mum was a bit upset this morning, but she's ok now" or "Mum's getting short on shampoo, please can you add it to your list". Which was all great - it was what I needed to know and nothing more.

This carer has now sadly left and Mum has several carers coming in. I now have no communication from any of them. I turn up and they've done yet another load of washing (which is good) but I am wondering if Mum is having incontinence problems or if the carers are just obsessed with washing things! I also have a suspicion that Mum hasn't always eaten lunch on the days I am not there, but they don't tell me anything.

Is this normal? I'd really like to be kept up to date with anything like this so I can help care for her appropriately and know if she's not eating lunch so I can sort a solution.

I am going to speak to the agency about it, but I would like to know what is normal to expect first.

I'd expect a handover folder with basic notes - time and date of visit, what actions taken ie shower, bed bath, assisted to loo, made a cup of tea, watched her take her meds, didn't see her eat but half eaten toast seen on the side, distressed about noise in the night, happy to chat about Strictly - just a couple of short sentences per visit.

It’s normal - carers won’t have time to ck tact clients family - their time is tight

Carers notes are now often electronic and will go to a digital file at the office. They scan on and say in their phone/tablet what they’ve done

Many agencies using a digital platform for recording notes will have the option for a family app so that you can have access to the records that carers meet at every visit. I would ask the agency if they are able to give you access to this. X

Carers notes are now put on an app not into a hand written file. Often they have an option for the family to have access. Sadly carers don’t have time for the helpful texts / messages anymore as there caseloads are so big with minimal time between clients.

Thanks for your replies.

I forgot to mention that this is an (expensive) private care agency with hour long visits. She is fully funding. I don't know if that makes a difference. I signed all the paperwork and am their contact.

I don't need to (and actually don't really want to) know all the routine stuff that happens, but if Mum has started having continuance issues or has started not eating lunches on the days I am not around, is that not something they should and need to tell me?

I was just wondering if it was normal not to be told anything. I will ask the agency either way and see what they say.

My Mum's carers, self funded, have an online app. They scan the QR code on her front door on arrival and departure and write notes and tick of a list of activities. So I can check the app, see when they have left, whether Mum has had a shower or whatever.

If they don't have paper notes (some companies have both) then you should have been provided with a log in to a system where they keep notes.

I would ask what their policy is for communication.

You definitely can't expect individual carers to privately update you with stuff regardless of it being fully funded by your mum.

Oh no! To be clear I am not expecting it of individual carers. There is no app or paper notes. So the carers come and go and I get no feedback, even that they have been.

Those who have apps, apart from the times of the visits and the routine stuff like baths, do you get told of unusual stuff like not eating?

I don't know how I can fully manage what her care needs are if I am not getting any feedback about things that have changed with her condition.

For example, if she's regularly not eating lunch when I am not there to put it in front of her, then I need to find a solution to that, not just leave her to go hungry.

You should be able to agree a lust of tasks, one of which could be 'check whether lunch was eaten'.
For my DM they say things like 'refused a shower' or 'helped put cream on legs' etc.

Buy a large diary. Put it on the side in the kitchen and ask them to make a note each visit. It doesn’t have to be war and peace just, mum refused all options of lunch but agreed to a slice of cake and a coffee. Changed clothes due to wetness. Short on washing up liquid.

Those who have apps, apart from the times of the visits and the routine stuff like baths, do you get told of unusual stuff like not eating

Yes

When my Dad had carers there was a book by the bed where they wrote in anything. They would sometimes just date, time and sign to say they had been, but they would leave any notes that were needed too.

I have 24 hr carers in for my parent. We have a notebook in their staff room where they write down everything and we also all have access to an app

I don’t believe for one minute that the carers aren’t recording notes somewhere. The agency needs to do this for their own protection.

The question you need to ask them is whether they will give you access.

I did ask on here about having access to carer notes, and was told that it's quite normal for families not to be kept up to date, and unless FIL had specifically given consent to this we should not be having access to his private information. This was with council-funded care. In our case, FIL doesn't really understand the implications of not giving consent, and it does make life more difficult for SIL who has a similar role to yours regarding his care.

Speak to the agency and see what they have in place for communicating with the family. On what basis was the previous carer communicating with you? Do you have POA for your mum? That might help (though in our case it hasn't so far).

Thanks all.

I do have PoA. My Mum has Alzheimer's, and currently isn't really capable of making decisions about who should know what. I also think when we signed up, she gave consent then for them to communicate with me. I was with her at the time and signed the forms instead of her then, so I am sure that was the case.

I am going to look through the paperwork now and see if it says anything.

My parent has 2 x 30 min visits a day.
all recorded on an app which I have a login for.

medication recorded and short notes inc things like what they had for breakfast-
if they were up or had to be woken
what meal they had selected.
if a shower was offered /refused etc.
name of carer and time they arrived left.
I find it really helpful and reassuring.
Organised via a care plan done by ASC but self funded so we are billed by council who pay the agency.

Just to update you all after all your help, I called the care company. They do have an app. I am a little miffed they haven't ever mentioned it, but I now have access. It's not great tbh as it just shows people have been there and completed 'tasks', but better than knowing nothing.

Glad you got access to the app and they should absolutely have offered from day one. I run a care company similar to the one you describe (mainly private client, longer visits) and that’s what we do. The carers should be documenting more than just ‘done’ for care tasks, there should be lots of accompanying free text surrounding it. We read our carers notes daily and would be straight on to anyone who didn’t provide individual notes and context