Arranging Care for a Parent When You Live Far Away
The Challenges of Long-Distance Caring
Long-distance caring for a parent presents various challenges. These include not being on hand in case of an emergency, not being able to monitor them in person, and being concerned that you’re not getting the full picture of their health. You may also want to arrange care for them but because you’re not in the same area you feel you won’t be able to check providers thoroughly.
Because we’ve got 155 branches across England and Wales, Helping Hands are best placed to support people with a wide range of care needs. We help people to remain as independent as possible in the home they love, on both a visiting and live-in care basis.
Signs Your Parent Needs Support When You Can't Be There
Whether you visit regularly, keep in touch via social media, or have a weekly chat on the phone, you’ll want to know that your parent is managing their everyday routine. Unfortunately, some older people try to keep their declining ability hidden from loved ones as they are concerned about losing their independence. Signs to look out for include the house appearing less tidy than usual, a decline in personal care, your parent visibly losing or gaining weight, and losing interest in activities they usually enjoy.
Your Options for Arranging Care from a Distance
Arranging care from a distance is as easy as making one phone call. Because we’ve been delivering exceptional home care since 1989, you can be reassured that Helping Hands will always be able to manage your parent’s care needs.
Hourly visiting care
Our hourly visiting care is available from just 30 minutes per week. We will arrange a schedule of visits that suit your loved one’s requirements, for both practical and emotional support, such as meal preparation, and vacuuming.
Live-in care
Live-in care means there is someone in your home with you around the clock. They’ll provide practical help with tasks such as housework, medication, mobility, and personal care, as well as companionship and enjoyable activities.
Asking family to help
If you have siblings or other relatives you shouldn’t have to manage a parent’s care on your own. Even if you don’t, your parent may have friends or neighbours who would be happy to help with their practical and emotional support.
How to Arrange Care Remotely
Arranging care remotely needn’t be a headache. Asking for local recommendations and checking providers’ reviews should give you an idea who to trust with your loved one’s care.
Getting a care needs assessment
Getting a care needs assessment should be a priority if you are planning on seeking professional care for your loved one. It’ll be carried out by their local authority, and it will decide how much – if any – they have to pay for their care. The NHS also has plenty of information about the process.
Choosing a care provider from a distance
Arranging care remotely can be done fairly easily, even if you live far away from your parent. Looking at providers’ websites and checking their Trustpilot reviews will give you an idea of how reliable the care provider is and whether you should trust them with your loved one’s care.
Setting up Lasting Power of Attorney
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is the way to ensure important decisions are made by someone trustworthy, in case you parent is eventually unable to do so. It gives the person control over decisions regarding finances and/or health and welfare, acting in your parents’ best interests.
Staying Informed About Your Parent’s Care
Arranging professional care for your parent doesn’t mean you don’t want to have regular updates. We will – with their permission – keep you updated on how your parent is getting on.
Regular updates and communication from carers
The carers will be able to keep you informed about any changes in your parents’ wellbeing if you’re their next of kin. We always respect data protection laws though and will only pass on information with the person’s consent, or if you have lasting power of attorney.
Technology that helps you stay connected
Advances in technology can be beneficial for helping you stay connected. Your parent may have a wearable falls alarm in their home linked to your mobile number, or you may use a tablet for regular video calls. You may even utilise smart speakers to talk to your loved one remotely.
How Helping Hands Supports Families Caring from a Distance
When you first get in touch with us, we’ll explain all of your options for your parent’s care. It’s easy to get in touch with us; via our friendly customer care advisers seven days a week, chatting live on our webform, or in person in one of our 155 branches across England and Wales. We have local managers in every branch who will go to your loved one’s home and carry out an assessment. We’ll then arrange their bespoke package of care for you both to look over thoroughly before you commit. Their personalised support plan will contain every detail of how they like to spend their days, so you can be sure that our carefully selected, compassionate carers will be dedicated to helping them live their best life at home.
FAQs
While you may be able to travel to your parent’s house regularly, to provide all the care they’ll need you’ll most likely need to make significant changes to your life. Therefore, it’s easier to arrange for Helping Hands to visit or live in, giving you all peace of mind.
There are practical and emotional ways that suggest they may not be managing to look after themselves. Also, having a chat with neighbours, friends, or other family members may reveal details you’d missed.
Checking a care provider’s Trustpilot reviews is always a good indicator. For instance, Helping Hands has over 5000 reviews with a score of 4.7.
Contacting your parent’s local authority will start the ball rolling of a care needs assessment. When you approach Helping Hands, we will provide a free assessment in your parent’s home to ensure that we can provide the support you want put in place.
Yes of course! If you would like to keep in touch with your parent via video calls or other technology, their carer will help them to get to grips with it. You can arrange to chat at a time when you know their carer will be in their home with them.