Home Carers

[foliedouce]

Just wondering if anyone else is in a similar boat and can share any information to help.

My partner's Mum needs a significant amount of home care, she's on oxygen and needs the tanks changing, food cooked for her, sick cleaned up, bathing etc

She doesn't want to leave her home which she shared for 50 years with her late husband and go into care home. I get that.

Since COVID, it seems impossible to get carers, which again I understand.

My partner is picking up the lions share of the work caring for her, so we only see each other 2 evenings a week and every other weekend. We have discussed moving in with her Mum but given the geography, work commitments and the fact I'm divorced with young kids and a huge energetic dog, it's just not feasible.

She's keen to find external help for her Mum but we're struggling.

Has anyone got any leads / ideas on getting carers in the current environment?

Thanks

[Riley Blue]

Social services were excellent when my Dad needed home care so I'd give your council a call. Alternatively, here are some pointers; https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/a...

[anonymous-user]

All I would say is keep an eye on them with secret cameras, I'm sure there a lot of good ones but you end up placing a lot of trust in these people, we got badly burned by them.

These were carers from an external agency contracted by the council who are only interested in ticking the box at the lowest cost.

Do as much due diligence as you can, CQC, etc and also make sure the house insurer knows about them. If you need a key safe get the security by design ones and not the £15 one from Screwfix.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 27th June 17:04

[h0b0]

As Covid lock down started we lost my fathers primary care. My brother is 200 miles away and I’m on the wrong side of the Atlantic. Added to that, he lives in a rural area so things were not ideal. We were fortunate that my father had volunteered as a companion only a couple of years ago. We gave that organization a call and they have been fantastic. I’m not sure what we would have done without them. They are based in the North West and are a paid for service. I believe they are at capacity but let me know if you want the details.

It also shows how quickly health can deteriorate. As I mentioned, it was only a few months from helping others in need to being in need with dementia.

[GM182]

Hi
I work for a large national agency with franchised offices all over the country. We're not cheap but offer a very good quality of service.

The oxygen element would need a specialist signing off a caregiver as competent.

I don't think I'm allowed to promote brand names on the forum so PM me and I'll see if I can put you in touch an office local to your mother-in-law.

[Sheepshanks]

This could be different at it was end-of-life care, although when it started it wasn't apparent he was so near the end:

FIL died at home the day after lockdown started. He deteriorated very fast in the last couple of weeks and everything related to caring for him was starting to get extremely iffy as lockdown approached so the timing of his demise may well have been fortunate.

It was all organised via the District Nurse team and I have to say they were very fast getting extra care in place as he went from needing one carer once per day to two carers three times per day. It seems the District Nurse team put a tender out and then accept the most appropriate bid - one of the nurses told us the firm they were using weren't the cheapest but most appropriate for FIL.

Have to say all the carers were marvellous - FIL was a big guy and cantankerous at the best of times. One of carers called in a couple of times between other calls to see if my wife needed a hand with him.


I do recall carers saying a lot of their work was stopping as people didn't want anyone in their houses.

Edited by Sheepshanks on Thursday 2nd July 18:50

[foliedouce]

Thanks for the replies, she doesn't qualify for council care apparently so it's self pay. She had carers until lockdown, now my partner is struggling to find any at all, apparently she is on a waiting list.

@GM182, I have PM'd you

[VR99]

foliedouce said:

Thanks for the replies, she doesn't qualify for council care apparently so it's self pay. She had carers until lockdown, now my partner is struggling to find any at all, apparently she is on a waiting list.

@GM182, I have PM'd you

Unfortunately when it comes to care funding the bar is set quite high now. My mother has daily carers, organised via social services but self funded. She has dementia and a whole host of other conditions and even then there is no council funding as such, though she does receive Attendance allowance.