“I want the best care for my loved one/myself, but (insert misconception here)” is a conversation we have every day, and it’s our favourite conversation.
Why? Because we want as many people as possible to reach out and tell us their fears or concerns, no matter what they are.
By not voicing our fears and concerns about home care, misgivings can prevent people from seeking advice and getting the services they deserve.
Happy to Help Gateshead takes you through some of the misconceptions about home help but if there’s any that you have that we don’t cover below, please reach out.
1. “Anyone can be a home help carer, there’s no training given, or experience needed and this worries me”
We believe it takes a special person to look after someone they’ve never met, and many people who apply for care roles do so in later life or when they’d like a career change whilst others are younger and just starting their care careers.
Some carers will have achieved or working towards their health and social care qualifications and will have to complete an induction and in-house training before they start. Happy to Help Gateshead insists that, first of all, each and every person that they consider for a role must have the following:-
Excellent communication skills and ability to listen
Empathy and understanding
Honesty and integrity
Able to deal with problems and emergencies
Able to provide dignified, comforting care in people’s homes including for those with disabilities, health conditions and memory loss.
Once someone ticks all of these boxes, they then have to have an enhanced DBS check to ensure they have no criminal convictions, and only when this is confirmed, can the candidate begin their training which involves:-
Shadowing of an experienced worker for a least one week
A thorough understanding of our code of conduct, safeguarding, policies and procedures
positive feedback from the clients that the worker meets when shadowing
Positive feedback from the experienced worker that the new carer is shadowing. She has a beady eye for quality, and for rapport with our clients so she looks very closely to assess both of these skills!
2. “All care companies are the same”
We’re yet to find two care companies in Gateshead who are the same. Even if what they deliver is similar, we each deliver them with a different approach, and have a different culture which comes down to personal preference when deciding which one is right for you or your loved ones. Then there are the different practicalities we each have in many areas such as:-
How home assessments are carried out
Time/day that care can be provided
Management and how staff and client reviews are carried out
Cancellation policies
Products used for cleaning (do they bring their own or use what the client prefers for instance)
How the organisation is set up (for instance we are a charity)
3. “They rush from client to client and cut corners”
If a member of staff is cutting corners, a care company should know, and care deeply about putting it right. Clients should be able to quickly build a trusting relationship, not only with their carer, but with the head office team who are there to support you. This means that you can feel comfortable to raise concerns and issues and have them resolved as soon as possible. We’re lucky to have a team that has exceptionally high standards, but we do spot checks and regular reviews anyway, so that our clients have the added reassurance and guarantees.
Rushing from client to client is a concern we hear of regularly.
Each of our clients is allocated the time that they want, whether this is an hour or two hours, and our carers are there for the duration.
Even if our carers complete all tasks with time to spare, they will ask our clients what else they need and will use the time up this way.
Some of our clients ask for a chat, and so long as all jobs are done, our carers are happy to oblige. Conversation is something that some of our clients and their loved ones find particularly comforting and greatly appreciate this part of our service knowing that the carer won’t rush off early but will take the time to chat or do other jobs.
4. “It’s all about profit and squeezing as many people in to the day as they can”
All care companies have to charge. This is so they can pay their carers' wages, and cover business costs like insurance and telephone bills etc. Sometimes clients pay for care themselves, other clients have help towards the cost from their local authority. Regardless of how care is paid for, cutting corners, and leaving early is out of the question at Happy to Help Gateshead, and we work out how long it will take each of our carers to get from A to B depending on the transport they use so their rotas are timed to perfection so that they are never rushed in between their clients.
But what about profit?
It is good practice for all companies to have some spare money in the bank, to ensure that their business can survive any rough times (such as a recession or pandemic for example).
Our policy is to have some modest reserves to help us to get through any uncertain times, but as a charity we have no paid directors, and we have no shareholders either. These savings are passed onto our clients.
Being a charity also means that what we do with our profits is regulated, and we use every penny to benefit the community for a social purpose.
5. “I worry about not knowing who is coming in to my loved ones house each week, they change so often don’t they? I don’t want a stranger coming in each time.”
If you have personal care, and have several visit per day to help you with dressing, meals, medication etc it is not always possible to have the same carer each visit. Home help that does not include personal care is different, and can offer the same worker or team of workers each time.
We always guarantee that you have the same worker each week*. After 20 years, we are very good at matching our workers and clients so that they get along very well. We get a good sense of which workers our clients will get on with and who they will be happy to welcome into their home each week.
*What about when a carer is unwell or on holiday?
We have one wonderful ‘floating worker’ who can cover in times of absences of our regular workers. It's not compulsory to have our floating worker but once clients and their loved ones get to know her, they really look forward to seeing her just as much as their own weekly carer. Our head office team, Liz and Nancy, always let our clients and loved ones know in advance if their carer is absent and will offer support from our floating worker.
6. “I won’t get a choice about what services I have each week”
A good care company will work with your and/or your loved ones to find out exactly what you want or need so that you retain choice and control over your service.
When your personal home help plan is created, this is what you carers will stick to. Early on, ask the care company if you can make changes and how you do this. You plan should change with your needs and wishes.
7. “I’ll still be charged, even if I want a week away or go into hospital”
During an initial conversation with a care company, checking out their cancellation policy is a good idea so you know what to expect. Our approach is to have no cancellation charges if you go on holiday or go into hospital for instance. All we need is 48 hours notice (this does not apply if you become suddenly unwell just before we visit you or while we are carrying out our visit, we would never charge under these circumstances).
8. “I have a husband/wife/partner home who can do it so I won’t be eligible”
Many of our clients are couples, and even if one of them is able to do household tasks, this doesn’t mean they have to. Our couple households value having the burden of housework, shopping, bill paying and prescription collection taken away. They get to spend quality time with each other and on their own hobbies and interests instead, which is of great importance for health and wellbeing.
9. “It’s only for people who have lots of money”
Home care tends to be charged by the hour and the cost will depend on what you need and where you live. In Gateshead, the average is around £20. We charge £17.50 due to being a charity with no costly overheads that a private company can have, and because we focus on domestic tasks, shopping, bill paying and prescription collection.
Because home help is charged by the hour, many clients have control over how many times per week they have a visit, and for how long, to help cover what they need, against the financial consideration. (This is not always possible if you have personal care needs.) You might be able to get help towards your care too so it’s always worth checking.
Home care is preventative, and allows you to stay at home with your partner, pets and where you feel most comfortable. We often hear from our clients that home care helps to prevent and delay them from having to move into a care home which can cost anywhere from £655 per week in England. With the average cost of home care being £20, it is worth considering if tasks are becoming difficult or overwhelming. A regular visit can help you or a loved one to stay at home in comfort.
In conclusion
We understand that everyone’s perceptions of home care are different. Even if you think your concern is unspeakable, we can guarantee you won’t be alone in thinking it, and after 20 years of delivering home care services, we’d never be offended.
So if there is something that worries you about home care, or you have a question, we’d love to help. You can book in a free priority call back with our Happy to Help Gateshead expert coordinator, Liz, or give her a call on 0191 4785919. Prefer to email? Contact Liz at liz@teamwork-dt.co.uk.
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