Continuity of Care ( at home)

[Lee]

I live with and support my aunt who has early stage vascular dementia. We are setting up Pat's care package and are interested in how much value people place on having experienced and long term carers. Essentially I am looking for opinions as to whether its worth paying more for carers who are experienced and can commit to a long term involvement. This is inthe context of employing carers directly to work in our home. One carer has 12years quality experience and we wonder how much extra effort we should put into retaining them esp as Pats condition deepens

Thanks

 

[Jude]

Dear Lee,

Experience can be of great benefit - especially specialised knowledge of caring for people with AD, however, perhaps not the most important factor in my opinion. A long term commitment is vitally important given that AD sufferers do not react well to changes of routine and the introduction of strangers in to their lives.

Initially I approached private agency carers, but after a few attempts abandoned the idea. These carers had very fixed ideas and were not amenable to altering their ingrained ideas on caring to suit the situation. The uniforms were intimidating to my parents and whilst they were nice enough, their brisk and businesslike attitude was rather too overbearing.

Our present carers are a husband and wife team. Carole had 2 years experience and Glyn none, but they are now a firm fixture in our lives and will remain so. We have all really learnt together by reading books and having discussions about the AS fact sheets, my involvement with TP, as well as 'hands on' daily experience. We are now a pretty experienced 'team' who work really well together.

I hope you will be as lucky as we have been.

Jude

 

[Lee]

Jude

Thanks.

I guess even ig the staff aren't experienced at first they become so pretty quickly.

I appreciate your point about getting people in as part of the scene rather than go for a never ending supply of people. What I intend to do is produce a compensation package that retains the good staff.

Cheers again

Lee

 

[Kriss]

Jude

how did you find them? Did you advertise or was it all down to fate?

Kriss

 

[Jude]

Dear Kriss,

A bit of both really.

Carole was the housekeeper at the close care accommodation where my parents lived prior to moving into the bungalow. She had developed a really good rapport with my parents and agreed to renegotiate her hours at the Home so that she could come with us. It took her a month or so to do that, hence the 'gestapo' agency bods during the interim. He husband used to drop in and help with odd jobs and then became a fixture as well. After that, their children and grandchildren began to visit, and before I knew it, we had a ready made extended family of carers. Unbelievable luck....!

Jude