Whether you are preparing for the arrival of your first live-in carer or are a regular recipient of wonderful carers that come to live with you to take care of you and support you in your own home, there are certain tasks you can do to ensure a smooth transition.
Here are my top tips to getting the home ready:
Prepare the Carer/Guest bedroom – ensure there is clean bedding & towels. Some home Carers will bring their own, but it is nice to make them feel welcome in this regard.
Warm the bedroom, turn the heating on if it is chilly and turn on a lamp. Remember your domiciliary Carer is as new to you as you are to them.
Ensure you know what time your Carer will arrive. If you arrange your live-in carer through an agency, then they will have left you know the estimated arrival day and time of your at home Carer well before they are due. If you arrange the care privately give the Carer a call so you know when to expect him/her.
Prepare an ‘instruction book’ – literally a book with the instructions to your main household appliances in so the Carer can refer to it when needed.
Make a list of important numbers e.g., family members, GP, hairdresser, etc.
List important dates on a calendar – everything from bin day to important birthdays and necessary appointments so the Carer can help arrange and prepare.
If you are arranging the care at home yourself or through an introduction agency make sure you have written notes on what ‘care’ you would like and when, a basic pattern of the daily routine, like and dislikes and any other important information you this necessary.
All live-in care agencies will be able to help and advise you further on preparing the home for the arrival of a Live-in Carer and will offer varying levels of service about drafting care plans and instructions for Carers, do ask what they can offer you.
I am Jo, a Client Relationship Consultant at Access Care, and it’s part of my job to assure my clients of peace of mind whether they are expecting a home Carer for the first time or are a regular client. We call the changing of one carer to another a ‘changeover’ and it is my mission to ensure these run smoothly.
I check in with my clients every week (unless they arrange a different contact pattern with me) and when a changeover is approaching, I am in touch a good 10 days before the event. I re-confirm the name of the Carer my client has chosen and the date they will be arriving. The week before the changeover, I will be in touch with your new domiciliary Carer to check they have made their travel arrangements, and to find out their estimated time of arrival and then call to let you know. I will also call your current Carer so they can make their arrangements for travelling home.
We suggest to living in Carers that the ‘changeovers’ should take place in the middle of the day, and that they should allow at least two hours for a thorough handover of information. This should include an introduction to you (of course), sharing your daily routine, information about any moving and handling equipment and medication, a tour of your home and how to operate your home appliances. This list is by no means exhaustive and of course the information being shared will be as individual as each of our clients are.
I telephone your Carer on the morning they are due to arrive with you to check that they are on their way and that their travel plans haven’t changed. I will also call them around the time they are due to arrive with you to check they have arrived safely. If I am made aware of any delays or changes at any time, I will let you know.
We follow the same process for every changeover, even if the changeover happens out of our usual office hours, for example during an evening, at a weekend or on a Bank Holiday, our ‘On Call’ team cover the role.
Preparing for a live-in carer should be hassle-free and a time to look forward to knowing that help is on its way and you now have a team of people on your side.
Best wishes,
Jo
Client Relationship Consultant