Care Assistant Home Visits

Dear Marilla.
I do hope all works out well.
My parents had home care for six years which increased with their needs. My Mum had a physical disability and my Dad dementia.
It was a varied time with some excellent carers and some hopeless.
This was up until 2016. Social care is in turmoil. The service received can be down to luck as much as anything. Most carers are very dedicated. They are often short of time.
Find out what they are supposed to be doing and check with your dad they are. There is lots of excellent advice above but it can be a tiring and worrying time. Its definitely beneficial to have someone nearby to keep an eye on things.
I arranged for a local company to deliver meals on wheels. They delivered a hot freshly cooked meal midday. This was preferable to ready meals and they were also an extra pair of eyes and a cheery visitor. Good luck,I hope it all goes smoothly.

by the way Parsley Box supply ready meals that can be stored ambient temp. no need for fridge/ freezer space. i know people who like them. certainly useful.

www.parsleybox.com/product/expressbundle/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_HIHvKA8IB1xpMt9UpAJE7K_dU6huPMYoIpgaLLNm1ggkomaflMleoaAmvoEALw_wcB

all the best, Marilla. g'night.

Thank you for the most recent replies. I really do appreciate the amount of time you have all taken to reply with your personal experiences of the system. It has taken a nasty fall and being in bed for several days without help, for my dad to acknowledge that he needs assistance to enable him to remain in his own home. I will update you all when my dad comes home and I can share what’s in place and how it is working out.

Just a thought..before your dad is discharged his care package should already be in place. Avoid discharge on a Friday if possible and whenever he is discharged it would be helpful if you or someone else was there too. Hope all goes well.

I worked in this area but retired some years ago so it’s possible things will have changed but hope this helps. If the care was organised by the hospital an assessment should have been done by their social work dept. If care is still required after that short intervention it would generally move onto the local authority social services. A new care manager will do another assessment of need and finance if a contribution towards care is appropriate. They should complete a care plan which you should be able to see or at least discuss.

Any problems with visits etc , lateness, other problems of any sort should be referred to them as they are the people who contract the agencies. There should be a contact book which is left at the house and completed every visit by the carer with time of arrival and departure as well as what they did and how the person visited was. They didn’t used to do food shopping or cleaning etc. which did make thing difficult sometimes but maybe this has changed.

If you end up organising care direct you will need to find and contact the agency yourself. As has been suggested a neighbour or friend who can keep an eye on the situation would be very helpful especially as you live so far away. Carers do a difficult job and are always rushed so can be late or even not turn up at all which is obviously problematic.

You might want to consider applying for Attendance Allowance which would help with costs.

Day care centres offer time out and socialising and a cooked lunch etc. Not everyone’s taste but some if these do very good work.

It will be a worry but hopefully if care is continued after the rehabilitative care package ends ongoing care will help your dad stay home safely. Hope this helps a bit.

This is just what I would have suggested Hetty.

Hope everything goes well.

Don't rely on anything from the CQC they have been conspicuous by their absence during this crisis. They seem to have few teeth in any case, another government waste of money.

The carer will do whatever he/she is required to do in the time available, the care does vary a lot from agency to agency. Several helpful suggestions on here Marilla

Marilla do you hold the Power of Attorney on your father's behalf? If not then it would be a good idea to do so.
There are two: one for finance and one for health and welfare. You can set them up online.
It means you would have the authority to speak to people on his behalf and act for him if he needs you to.

When I had a carer coming in twice a day to help with getting showered in the morning and then preparing a meal for me at teatime I found the hardest thing was the waiting for them in the morning. I would be sat around in my nightclothes for ages sometimes just waiting for someone to come. Although there was a set time for them to come, it could vary widely and was very frustrating.
Hope he goes on all right with everything. And you feel comfortable with whats happening.

My mum has three carer visits a day. One to get her washed and dressed and make her toast and tea and one to give her a sandwich and get her ready for bed. The carer in the middle of the day heats up a ready meal in the microwave and does other odd jobs such as hanging up the washing. She has one main carer but, obviously, she doesn’t work 7 days a week and she doesn’t do lunchtime.
There are companies who will deliver ready meals which your father can keep in his freezer.
You should sign your father up to an emergency alarm scheme and ask the carers to make sure he always wears the button in case he falls or needs help.
Make sure you apply for Attendance Allowance on his behalf. This doesn’t cover the full cost of my mother’s carer but it sure helps!

You are so kind and thoughtful replying to my query so late in the evening. You have given me very useful advice and some points that I hadn’t thought of.

it depends on what his particular needs are.
if this has been arranged by the hospital, they will have assessed that he needs help with rehab.
do you know how long it lasts.
are his needs primarily physical, re mobility say, or cognitive, help with taking medication.
if i were you i would want the name of the agency, and to ring them to check they are following covid precautions strictly.
if there is no one else on the scene, except the client, they rarely stay for the full time. and are likely to be different people each visit.
keep in touch with your dad, and get him t tell you what is going on, without worrying him.
all the best.

All care providers are inspected by the CQC. You can view the care company's latest inspection report on the website to see how they are performing.

My late fathers carers were amazing although Dad insisted on being up, showered and dressed before they arrived in the mornings. They supervised him taking his medication which had to be in a pre packed medi wallet as they were not allowed to give anything from individual packages.

The care they give very much depends on the clients requirements and this should be established prior to hospital discharge.

As Hetty says, there will be different carers in accordance to their shift patterns and working hours. Hopefully, your father will settle into the care routine but I also agree with Hetty that having a close friend or neighbour keeping an eye on things would add some peace of mind for you.

I hope all turns out well.

From experience, I wouldn't expect 'a' care assistant - but several, depending on shifts and working patterns. I do hope that it's a good agency and I'd strongly advise you to check that they are doing enough.

Different carers from the same agency can vary a lot in the skills they have and what they offer.

Is there a friend or neighbour of your dad that could keep an eye on him and report back to you?

It depends on your Dad’s needs but eg a toilet visit and a wash/helping him wash and dress/helping him out of bed/tucking him into bed for the night/giving his medication/providing food and drinks.

I’m sure it must be a worry for you being so far away Marilla but hopefully you should be given a contact number of the care agency visiting your Dad. You should be able to speak to the care manager and enquire what are your Dad’s needs and how they are caring for him. Hopefully you will be able to establish a good relationship with them and feel comfortable phoning them for information.

I hope it all goes as well as it possibly can for your Dad and for you.