If you or someone you know needs help with domestic tasks at home in the Gateshead area, our blog explains our home help and cleaning services in full so that no question is left unanswered about the support available.
We've tried to leave no stone unturned, but if you would like to skip certain questions, simply click on a question below to take you straight to the answer you're looking for.
Who are Happy to Help Gateshead?
Happy to Help Gateshead is a home help and cleaning service for older people and people with disabilities. We've helped take care of the regular home and cleaning tasks for thousands of people across Gateshead since we began in 2000.
We have two members of our head office team, Liz and Nancy, and a team of over 20 home help assistants, most of which have been with our service for years.
What do we offer?
Each person we help is different. This is why we provide people with the services they or their loved ones want, which may include some of the following (this list is not exhaustive, if you have other tasks in the home you are struggling with or a place you would like to go with some company, just let us know).
Shopping
Bill Paying
Housework
Vacuuming
Sweeping
Polishing/Dusting
Cleaning Floors
Cleaning inside Windows
Cleaning Cupboards inside and out
Making and Changing Beds
Ironing
Laundry services
One of the added benefits of Happy to Help Gateshead is our head office support which offers clients and their loved ones a dedicated contact to ask questions, ask for extra help, make changes to their service, raise concerns without speaking directly to their home help assistant and much more.
What geographical areas do we cover?
We support people living in the Gateshead local authority area. We can also support people living on the outskirts of Gateshead too.
Who uses our services?
Single people or couples aged over 65 and people with disabilities or health conditions* use our services to do the tasks that they struggle with, or simply do not want to do, so that they have the energy to do other things that enhance their wellbeing instead.
We can also support families who have a relative in the household who has a life limiting condition so that the family can focus on quality time together instead of worrying about the weekly cleaning and domestic tasks.
We also help people recovering from illness, injury or surgery and just need some help for a short time.
*Here's just some of the health conditions that some of our clients have:-
Alzheimer’s
Angina/Heart Issues
Arthritis
Asthma
Cancer
COPD
Dementia/Cognitive Impairment Issues
Depression/Low Mood/Anxiety
Diabetes
Falls/Mobility/Balance Issues
Fibromyalgia
Fluid in legs/water retention
Hearing Loss
Heart Attacks
Leg Ulcers
Life limiting conditions
Long Covid
MS
Osteoporosis
Parkinson's
Spine Issues
Sight Issues
Strokes
Vertigo
This list is not exhaustive and we can support with any long or short term condition that makes looking after the home difficult for an individual or those who they live with.
Who doesn't use our services?
The service is not designed for people who can do their own housework physically, but cannot do so due to demands on their time such as work or education, looking after family etc. There are many local cleaning services that are perfect for the busy household, or to lighten the load with domestic tasks.
We're also not a great fit for households who need a significant amount of cleaning to take place before it can be maintained weekly. In such circumstances, we recommend households contact a deep clean organisation, and after this, we can then visit weekly to manage the domestic tasks.
Why do customers use our service?
There are so many reasons why our customers use our service. Here's just a few of them....
tasks are becoming more physically challenging or overwhelming
doing cleaning and domestic tasks would take up all of their energy which could be better spend doing activities that enhance their wellbeing
one partner might be looking after the other, and is struggling to keep on top of the domestic tasks, or would like help so that they can ease the burden of having lots to do, or would like to spend the time use for cleaning on things they enjoy or spending quality time together instead
customers often tell us that they don't want to be a burden on their loved ones, and using our services removes this perfectly
customers enjoy the social aspect of having a regular visitor that can also help keep their home safe and comfortable
customers tell us that the service eases their anxiety about jobs not getting done, or the house not being how they would like it should someone call in to visit them.
the service eases anxiety for loved ones too, knowing that someone is visiting during the day, as well as making sure that spoiled or out of date food isn't eaten if our customer has a condition affecting their memory, cognition or sight etc. Read Maria's story to find out how our services bring peace of mind to clients and their loved ones.
How much is it?
£17.50 per hour (price correct as of 1st April 2022)
What do clients get for their money?
Each of our clients receives:
help with the jobs around the house that they need/want us to do
a friendly visitor that clients trust
no rushing between clients - our home help assistants are there for the full time that a client is paying for. If they finish all of their regular jobs early, our home help assistants will always ask our clients what extra tasks they'd like us to take care of for them.
head office support for clients and their loved ones
personalised support tailored to each client's needs, wishes and values
flexibility to change a home help plan so that it is always as supportive as it can be
going on holiday or need a week without your home help assistant? We never charge a cancellation fee so long as we have at least 48 hours notice, and will never charge clients if they suddenly have to go into hospital and couldn't let us know
clients always have the same worker (excluding times of absence, but we will always provide someone to cover your usual assistant with someone we know you'll like just as much)
peace of mind! We get to know our clients really well, and can identify issues that will help keep them safe. We can keep in touch with family members too if wanted, which is greatly reassuring, especially when families live away or worry about their wellbeing during the day.
How do clients pay for the service?
Clients can pay their home help assistants on the day of their visit by cash or cheque, or we can send an invoice. Clients or their loved ones can arrange payment, and we'll ask our clients' preferences at our initial home visit.
Why do we charge for our services?
Happy to Help Gateshead is a charity and to be able to provide continuous support, we charge for our services to cover our expenses, such as paying our home help assistants to do the amazing work that they do, and for our head office team to make sure all of our clients and our team are supported and looked after by making sure everything runs like clockwork. It also covers the cost of things like our phone, office rent, and insurance too. All of our Trustees are unpaid, and we have no shareholders, so that client can have peace of mind that every penny we receive is used solely to provide our services. As a charity, we can apply for funding too, to deliver free and subsidised services for vulnerable residents.
How do people access the service?
There are two main ways that people access our home help service. People can refer themselves by contacting Liz or Nancy at the head office (by calling 0191 478 5919 or sending an email to liz@teamwork-dt.co.uk), or a loved one, carer or support service can refer on the client's behalf.
Often, people contact us for information first, before deciding to go ahead with booking a home assessment, which is a chance to meet Liz in person, and really get to know the service, and for us to get to know our clients.
There is never any obligation to take on the service at any point during the home assessment or afterwards, we much prefer people to feel like we're a right fit for them and their circumstances.
When do we work?
Our home help assistants work Monday to Fridays, from as early as 8:30am, and see their last clients late in the afternoon, from about 3:30pm. We do not work evenings or weekends or bank holidays.
When is our head office open?
Our head office is open between 9am and 4:30pm every weekday excluding bank holidays.
How does the service get set up for each client?
Step 1 - clients or their loved ones/carers/support services get in touch with Happy to Help Gateshead and we have an informal conversation on the telephone or over email.
Step 2 - if the client decides that they'll like to meet Liz and begin the process of setting up their home help service, we arrange a home assessment which are carried out at a convenient time for the client and anyone else that would like to be present.
Step 3 - the home assessment takes place. This is where we really get to know each other and we find out what clients need or want us to do. Together with the client, Liz creates out a personal home care plan which includes all of the tasks that a home help assistant will carry out, how long each visit will last. Liz also makes a note of other preferences too, such as which door the client likes people to use, how they like to be addressed and the best place for a home help assistant to park etc. The home assessment lasts around an hour.
Step 4 - Once Liz gets back to the office she uses her outstanding knowledge and experience to match the client with the home help assistant that will be the best fit.
Step 5 - Liz keeps the client updated along the way so that they know when the service will start, who the home help assistant will be and what will happen on the first visit.
What is a home help plan?
A home help plan is used by the home help assistant and the client to know what tasks are to take place each week. It also has all of the preferences that Liz has asked about at the home assessment so that the home help assistant carries out tasks in the way that the client prefers (such as using particular cleaning products, for example).
The home help plan is personal to each of our client, and is flexible so that it always helps in the best way that it can.
Clients can also request that other tasks get done within the allocated time instead if something needs a deep clean or an area of the home needs a bit more attention or organisation. This can mean that some of the weekly tasks do not get completed, but they get picked up again the following week, and the home help assistant will work with the client to know which tasks to leave out so that the more pressing tasks get done.
How long is each visit?
Visits usually last an hour, an hour and a half or two hours. Some clients have a weekly visit, others have two visits per week depending on their needs and wishes.
Why and when might clients need more than an hour per visit?
The time we spent at each visit can depend on a number of things, such as the number of rooms that are to be cleaned or the number of errands that clients would like us to do (such as shopping) before or after their home is cleaned. It also depends on the amount of tasks that clients need us to do, and the type of tasks that are required. Liz will get to know all of this information at the initial home assessment, and always suggests the minimum time that a household might need, and over the first few weeks, we can tweak the timing (increase or decrease it) to get it right.
Some clients like a bit of extra time to begin with, for us to get on top of some of the tasks, and then we reduce the length of the visit once the home help has been visiting a few weeks.
Can clients decided to change the length and/or frequency of their visits?
Yes. Clients can arrange this by speaking to their home help assistant who can pass this request on to the head office, or by clients (or their loved ones/carers) can speak to Liz directly.
If increasing the frequency or length of a visit, we try to keep to the client's preferences of days and times but this may depend on the availability of the home help assistants.
For example, we might not be able to fit in another day for the client's existing home help assistant if their rota is full, but a difference worker might be allocated. This is often beneficial for the client, having another visitor in the week that brings different conversation.
If clients are requesting to increase the duration of their visit, but their existing home help assistant already has a client before and afterwards, it can be impossible to increase the time on that day, and with the same home help assistant. In such cases, we can suggest that the client changes their day and time if they prefer to keep the same home help assistant, or if they would to keep the same day and time, we can see if a different home help assistant is available.
How does a client cancel the service for a week or so?
Clients or their loved ones/carers simply ring the head office or let their home help assistant know a week or two beforehand, and we makes sure that no visit takes place on the requested week(s).
Clients are never charged for cancelling the service, unless there is less than 48 hours before their visit is due. (This does not apply if the client has been taken into hospital at short notice for example).
How does a client cancel the service altogether?
Clients can cancel their service at any time during our head office opening hours by calling Liz or Nancy at the head office.
Is there a cancellation fee?
No. We never charge a cancellation fee to our clients. If any outstanding payments are due, we simply request that these are paid in full within an agreed timeframe.
Looking for Help at Home for yourself or a loved one?
Everyone is different, that’s why Happy to Help Gateshead create home help plans that suit the needs of each client. Whatever you need, we’ll create a visit that keeps on doing what you need to live in safety and comfort in your own home.
Call us on 0191 478 5919
Email liz@teamwork-dt.co.uk