HOW TO GO ABOUT SELECTING LIVE-IN CARE FOR YOUR MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION
Last month we posted an article outlining seven tips for choosing a live-in carer to look after an elderly or unwell relative.
There’s no doubt that this is a very tricky decision to make, so here we have outlined five more tips to help you work out the best person to hire. This time we focus on the practical arrangements of a working relationship. The ‘who will do what?’ type questions, and which discussions you should have at the beginning to avoid any potential problems.
If you are using an agency to find the right person, they should be taking measures to make sure that any potential carer is a perfect fit for your relative. However good the agency you are working with, it would be good practice to consider the following points.
1. When getting to know the carer, use open-ended questions. Using questions starting with ‘How’, ‘When’, ‘What’ or ‘Tell me about……’ will provide you with more informative responses and help you to understand the experience the carer has faster than using questions that need a yes or no answer.
2. Consider personal interests. You may have hand-selected a brilliantly trained, highly-recommended carer, but if they don’t have anything in common with your loved one, it can lead to a tricky working relationship. A shared interest in classical music or Chaplin films could result in a relationship built on companionship as well as care which will be much more successful. Asking the carer to describe what type of person he or she is and finding out a little about their background and history will help you to decide on compatibility.
3. Be upfront and specific about the tasks that you want them to perform. Agree what you want the carer to do at the beginning so that everyone’s expectations are managed. Remember, two way feedback is crucial to success. The carer needs to know exactly what is expected of them in order to provide the best possible care for their client. But equally, the carer may have suggestions and feedback that could make live-in care even more effective.
4. Discuss routines, food and travel arrangements. One of the key advantages of live-in care lies in its flexibility and how bespoke it can be. When you have selected someone equipped to do the job with a good ‘personality’ match for your parent or relative, spend time outlining a typical day. The benefit to your mum or dad of staying in their own home is that they can continue to live life as they want to. This might include eating their favourite meals (check the carer can/will prepare them), visiting friends or the doctor (check the carer is happy to drive them around) or just doing their usual crossword (check the carer is handy with a thesaurus).
5. If possible, share details of the carer with your relative before the engagement starts. You may have been your most diligent and thorough self during the process of finding the right person for the job, but the final decision is yours – you and your relative remain in control. If you are not 100% happy with the carer being proposed, say so. A face-to-face meeting might not be practical, but a one-to-one telephone call would help to clarify suitability. There is no better indicator than human chemistry for finding the right match. The importance of compatibility can never be underestimated.
We hope you found these tips of use. If you have any questions about this process, and the best way forward for your family, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Otus Live-in Care team on 01403 710119 for a ‘no obligation’ chat. We’d love to be of help to you, and to answer any questions you may have.