It can be a very significant decision when it comes to choosing someone to care for a loved one. You want to do your due diligence to ensure you find the right home care agency for the elderly.
To make the decision easier, you can go through this comprehensive five-step guide. This guide will take you through a step-by-step process to choosing the right home care agency. You will learn what questions to prioritize to find the right option.
First Step – What Type Of Care Do You Need?
First things first, you need to figure out what type of care you need. You want to think about what kind of home care you need assistance with. There are different options available including care attendants, personal assistants, basic home help, and more. You want to think about the option that would best meet your loved one’s needs. Some of the typical areas people might want care support to help them with can include:
– Help with maintaining personal hygiene
– Help with basic shopping
– Help with meal prep and cooking
– Nursing assistance
Home care can be a good and flexible option. It gives you much more control over how you use your carers. A lot of the time, you will be getting this care through a provider. The agency will supply you with a home care professional and they can help in various ways including:
– Offering short term care
– Providing cover for when a family member can’t look after their loved one
– Emergency care services
Second Step – Request An Assessment
If you think your family member needs home care, you’ll want to contact your local social services office to figure out what kind of home care you need. They can give you a good and proper assessment to ensure you find the right home care professional/agency. You can visit our page for more information about this.
Once you’ve been assessed, they will give you information as to whether or not you qualify for financial support. They will also let you know whether or not they can help. Another option you have is to do so through your means. This can still be something you get financial assistance with, but you’ll be tasked with finding the provider on your own. You can do this through either your budget or through something called “direct payments.” They will give you better control over how you get your home care provided.
Your local social services authority will pay via direct payments and you can choose how you want to get your needs met. Some that go with this approach tend to opt for a personal assistant or they go for a complete home service agency.
Here is a good video that you can go over. This video goes into detail about how you can find the right agency.
Third Step – Calculate The Costs
You will find that home care costs are typically deducted at an hourly rate. You can expect to pay anywhere from £10 – £20 per hour for your employed caregiver. However, if you go through an agency, you can expect to pay a little bit more. This will also depend on where you live and the competitive rate in the local market.
You can use this UK Care Guide calculator that will give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay when you opt for in-home care. You can use this calculator to figure out a budget and to get a good idea of how much you’ll end up paying based on your in-home care needs.
You want to also consider how you intend on paying for the service. You can visit our page for more details on how you can pay for this type of care and what your best options would be for the most cost effective approach.
Fourth Step – Search For Home Care Providers
You can find a lot of information here in UK Care Guide. You’ll find a detailed list of different in-home providers in the area. You will be able to use the built-in search function to sort through your options.
You can find a lot of agencies that will offer you support through their vetted team of professionals and specialists. Any independent home care provider is completely regulated by the Care Qualities Commission. Therefore, you can count on them to meet the basic standards of the area. This can give you peace of mind knowing your family will be in good hands.
Fifth Step – Speak To The Agency
Once you’ve looked at the various agencies in the area, you will want to come up with a shortlist of candidates. This way, you can further contact them and speak with them.
When you contact the various shortlist candidates, you want to figure out if they are going to meet your needs the most. You can ask any questions you have for them. You will also be able to agree on how to pay them and what’s the right type of care for your loved one based on an individual assessment.
Some Questions To Ask:
There are several questions you should be asking a prospective home care agency before choosing. You not only want to ask questions to the agency but also the caregiver. You also want to ask yourself some questions to ensure you put yourself in the best position to find and choose the right agency for your loved one. These questions can be split into three areas:
– Do you have a standard contract and what’s included in it?
– Do you have a minimum number of billed hours required?
– Do you have an hourly charge and what is it?
– Do you have any additional fees?
– Do you need to pay more if you need evenings or weekends?
– How do you accept payment?
– Do you accept insurance?
– Does your caregivers have certifications?
– Do you have specialists on staff?
– How many people does each caregiver look after?
– Do you conduct assessments?
The Care Worker – Questions To Ask Them:
– Do you keep written records?
– Do you live nearby?
– What training did you receive?
– Does your agency monitor you?
– Can you provide caregiving details to a family member regularly?
Your Needs – Things To Ask Yourself:
– How do you figure out what type of care is best for your loved one?
– Do you have specific cultural or religious requirements that the caregiver needs to be sensitive to?
– Will they have direct access to my home or my loved ones’ home?
