live in care

I'm guessing that as the caring profession is notoriously poorly paid, not many can afford to run a car these days.

Why not find a live-in carer with a valid driving licence and provide a car for her to take your mothef out and about if that's financially possible?

You would need to be paying petrol and upkeep for the carers car so Anya's suggestion may be the best solution.

Probably cheaper and easier to set up a taxi/minicab contract and continue with current carers.

A lot of local authorities provide social car schemes, that people can use, at a reduced rate. Your mum would have the carer to help her with this. Or perhaps you could ask for carers who drive on specific days, so that they are when your mum can go out and about.

Rvs and AgeUk (among others) provide transport for older people at 40p (I think) per mile. Usually there is an initial assessment to see what is required.

I'm sure if you are looking for live in care, an agency could stipulate that they must be drivers. I'm a carer, and a lot of the jobs I've looked at state that a driver is essential. Hope you can find something that suits your mum.

The carer would also need business insurance to cover her for accidents driving your mum around. Normal car insurance only covers you to drive you to and from your workplace.

You would also need to pay business mileage for these trips - I think it is currently around 45p per mile and covers petrol, maintenance and car taxes etc.

It might be easier to set up a taxi account.

Normal car insurance only covers you to drive you to and from your workplace

So no shopping, school runs, going on holiday or our first the day?

I think she means ordinary car insurance only covers business use for driving to work and back, not for other business purposes, which in this case would include taking heltons1 mother out in the car, leisure use for mother but part of her job, so business use for the carer.

I would talk to an insurance broker about this issue.

Most carers who use their car for driving clients around are insured for it.

I don't think a taxi acount is the answer - this lady wants to be taken out to places by someone she knows, it would be most offputting having the meter ticking away all the time!

I find this both strange and of course, very inconvenient.

I can't imagine why you think it strange that very low-paid Carers don't always have cars .... to be put at the disposal of others.

So no shopping, school runs, going on holiday or our first the day? hmm

No I am talking only about business use on a standard "social, domestic and pleasure" type of policy that most people have. It usually doesn't cover using your car for carrying working duties but does cover you to drive to and from work.

When I said a taxi account I don't mean the clock ticking but having one that you can ring to take you to a place (shopping centre, park, garden, medical appointment swimming etc) and then you ring another one when you are ready to go. I had this for my mother when she was unable to drive but needed to go out with her non-driving carer.

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My brothers mil had a live in carer who didn't drive. She took the mil out on the bus and my brother (or his wife) took her shopping for the food she liked for herself and to cook for mil. I don't think she had a carer who drove/had a car in the 10 years she had a carer.

Maybe find someone yourself that can care for you Mum that has a car and is looking for a live in position. ..Always have anyone that will be working with your mum and sharing her home DBS checked, always take up referencing and have a legal employee contract made up

Places to find such employee's are the job centre..CV Library.. Indeed

Even put an ad in the local sweet shop but please do not forget to do all the very relevant checks and to be honest if it were my Mum needing this kind of care I would 100% have cameras placed inside the property for extra security and do monitor it daily..

My mother has had live in carers (from an agency) for about three years. They hardly ever have cars. I think that's normal. Many of them drive, though, so I suppose you could look into funding a car for the carer, if you or your mum could afford it. In our situation, my mother gets taxis everywhere.