Age UK Home Respite, anyone use them?

Greenfingers_girl

Registered User
May 22, 2022
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My mum is very sociable and my dad (PWD) is getting to the stage where she worries about leaving him at home alone as he can't remember where she is.

Does anyone use the Age UK Home Respite service? Would you recommend and can you give me an idea how much it is? Mum is thinking about using them 2 or 3 times a week for when she goes shopping and attends a couple of U3A social clubs - so no more than a couple of hours at most each time.

Thanks
 

GillP

Registered User
Aug 11, 2021
3,855
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My mum is very sociable and my dad (PWD) is getting to the stage where she worries about leaving him at home alone as he can't remember where she is.

Does anyone use the Age UK Home Respite service? Would you recommend and can you give me an idea how much it is? Mum is thinking about using them 2 or 3 times a week for when she goes shopping and attends a couple of U3A social clubs - so no more than a couple of hours at most each time.

Thanks
I used a sitting service run by our local Carers U k. This was for two hours and was really good. I would say worth trying.
 

duchess55

Registered User
Sep 1, 2021
138
0
J
My mum is very sociable and my dad (PWD) is getting to the stage where she worries about leaving him at home alone as he can't remember where she is.

Does anyone use the Age UK Home Respite service? Would you recommend and can you give me an idea how much it is? Mum is thinking about using them 2 or 3 times a week for when she goes shopping and attends a couple of U3A social clubs - so no more than a couple of hours at most each time.

Thanks
i used them for my husband, so I could go swimming twice a week. They were very good and professional. We had he same lady come for two hours twice a week and she was lovely. We paid £19;per hour, would highly recommend.
 

Greenfingers_girl

Registered User
May 22, 2022
94
0
J

i used them for my husband, so I could go swimming twice a week. They were very good and professional. We had he same lady come for two hours twice a week and she was lovely. We paid £19;per hour, would highly recommend.
That's brilliant, thank you duchess55. Exactly the sort of thing we are after for dad and will give mum some breathing space too.
 

Greenfingers_girl

Registered User
May 22, 2022
94
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I used a sitting service run by our local Carers U k. This was for two hours and was really good. I would say worth trying.
Thank you GillP. I'll have a look at the website, can I ask how much an hour they charged? It's just for chatting and playing games or jigsaws
 

GillP

Registered User
Aug 11, 2021
3,855
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Thank you GillP. I'll have a look at the website, can I ask how much an hour they charged? It's just for chatting and playing games or jigsaws
Oh so, just checked and it was actually AgeUK we used and it was £16 per hour. We were on a waiting list for a local carers service who offer a free service.
 

lollyc

Registered User
Sep 9, 2020
947
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My friend worked for Age UK as a Personal Asistant, and this is exactly the sort of thing she did. They try to make it the same person who sits each time (holidays etc., permitting), so PWD doesn't have to cope with the confusion of a different person. The don't do personal care, or give tablets.
In our area, Home Counties, charge is £20/hr. Does your dad get Attendance Allowance, as this can be used to fund some of the cost?
We did not get any sort of funded respite from any source, but I think it depends on where you live as to what is available. Worth you / mum contacting her local carers group to see if it's an option.

We were all set to use Age UK when mum broke her leg, then got shingles, so it never actually happened!
 

Greenfingers_girl

Registered User
May 22, 2022
94
0
My friend worked for Age UK as a Personal Asistant, and this is exactly the sort of thing she did. They try to make it the same person who sits each time (holidays etc., permitting), so PWD doesn't have to cope with the confusion of a different person. The don't do personal care, or give tablets.
In our area, Home Counties, charge is £20/hr. Does your dad get Attendance Allowance, as this can be used to fund some of the cost?
We did not get any sort of funded respite from any source, but I think it depends on where you live as to what is available. Worth you / mum contacting her local carers group to see if it's an option.

We were all set to use Age UK when mum broke her leg, then got shingles, so it never actually happened!
Thanks lollyc

We just had confirmation of attendance allowance this week but perhaps also need to start looking for private night carers too as the tablets my dad was taking aren't really doing anything now. NHS night carers don't seem to exist!
 

Pork Pie lady

Registered User
Mar 16, 2013
677
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Anglia
My husband has had time in a care UK day centre also residential respite.

The day centre was variable depending which staff were on. We had several issues over a few months including boredom, allowing him to leave unsupervised, health and safety issues, extremely variable quality and quantity of food and refusing to allow art work to be taken home. He had some understanding and refused to change but eventually after serious lack of respect for our faith and being expected to take part in activities we found offensive he said he was not going back.

The respite care in the same centre wasn't any better he gets up and has breakfast quite early so the night staff gave him his morning meds then the day staff failed to look at the MARS chart and tried to give them to him again. On another occasion the person giving out the meds on her own made a mistake, he needed 4 of a particular tablet to make up the full dose but she only gave one and was arguing with him. She refused to listen to him, check the meds sheet or ask someone then when he gave the whole lot back "till you get it right" she gave in and gave what he demanded still without checking any where. Wrong on so many counts.

At the time we said we wouldn't set foot in the place again.

Having said all that I was recently required to visit someone there with regard to my work, this lady who has nothing wrong with her mind had nothing but praise for the love and care shown to her.

Many of the staff were excellent and I do believe people and places can change but sadly I no longer have confidence in the company.
 

Greenfingers_girl

Registered User
May 22, 2022
94
0
My husband has had time in a care UK day centre also residential respite.

The day centre was variable depending which staff were on. We had several issues over a few months including boredom, allowing him to leave unsupervised, health and safety issues, extremely variable quality and quantity of food and refusing to allow art work to be taken home. He had some understanding and refused to change but eventually after serious lack of respect for our faith and being expected to take part in activities we found offensive he said he was not going back.

The respite care in the same centre wasn't any better he gets up and has breakfast quite early so the night staff gave him his morning meds then the day staff failed to look at the MARS chart and tried to give them to him again. On another occasion the person giving out the meds on her own made a mistake, he needed 4 of a particular tablet to make up the full dose but she only gave one and was arguing with him. She refused to listen to him, check the meds sheet or ask someone then when he gave the whole lot back "till you get it right" she gave in and gave what he demanded still without checking any where. Wrong on so many counts.

At the time we said we wouldn't set foot in the place again.

Having said all that I was recently required to visit someone there with regard to my work, this lady who has nothing wrong with her mind had nothing but praise for the love and care shown to her.

Many of the staff were excellent and I do believe people and places can change but sadly I no longer have confidence in the company

Thanks Pork Pie Lady, although that is worrying to hear and, sadly, probably not that unusual.

It's a minefield out there and I think we're only at the start!