Care Consultations: What to Know
What is a Care Consultation?
More than ever, there is a pressing need for personalised, comprehensive home care, delivered by knowledgeable and compassionate professionals. People are increasingly wanting to remain living in the home that means the world to them, and Helping Hands are here to make this a reality.
When you contact us, we will arrange a no-obligation care consultation to get to know you and understand your care needs, delivered by one of our local care managers. This will help us to help you; we’ll answer any questions you have, support you in designing the care package you want, and ensure you understand every aspect of it.
Why Care Consultations Are an Important First Step
Realising you need care and support is not always easy; you may be worried about having someone you don’t know coming into your home, the cost implications, and whether you’ll lose your independence. Having a free care consultation with Helping Hands will help alleviate all of those concerns, as your local care manager will explain your options to you and detail the support available.
What to Expect During a Care Consultation
We own and manage all of our 150 local care branches throughout England and Wales, so you have the reassurance of directly employed care managers and carers, rather than franchised or self-employed staff. This means the person carrying out your care consultation is a knowledgeable Helping Hands employee, with all of our decades of experience at their fingertips.
Questions You May Be Asked
You’ll be asked about any health conditions, your daily routine, clubs and societies you like to attend, whether you’d need support with personal care, housework, medication and meals, and other details about your day-to-day life.
Assessments of Health and Home
Your local care manager will wish to inspect your home to check that it is a safe working environment for our carers to be in. We’ll also want to be sure we are able to deliver any specialist care you need.
Discussing Goals and Expectations
It’s very important that our customers have a realistic expectation of what their carer is in their home to do. Our carers are not in our customers’ homes as servants, but rather to support you to achieve your wellness goals.
How to Prepare for a Care Consultation
Our local care managers will come to the most convenient place for you, whether that’s your own home or a loved one’s. Even if you prefer to meet elsewhere initially, they will, of course, need to visit your home before setting up your care package, to ensure we can realistically deliver the care you require and that it is a suitable location for our carers to work safely.
Gathering Medical and Personal Information
To deliver your care effectively, we’ll need to know about any medical conditions you’re living with and any relevant personal information. This will be treated with the utmost confidence while allowing us to assess whether we can effectively support you.
Making a List of Questions and Concerns
Before your consultation appointment, it’s a good idea to speak to your loved ones about what you’re all realistically expecting from your care. Having questions prepared will allow our care manager to reassure you that we’ll be able to help.
Considering Short-Term and Long-Term Needs
While you may only be thinking about your immediate needs, it’s a good idea to consider how you see your care progressing. Planning for the future can enable you to have the means to continue or increase your care, if necessary.
Choosing the Right Care Provider After the Consultation
While we hope that you decide Helping Hands is the right care provider for you, we completely understand that sometimes not everything appears to fit. Therefore, if you don’t feel you’ve received the necessary information, please let us know. Equally, if, for whatever reason, we’re unable to provide the care you require, we’ll ensure you promptly have all the relevant details.
The home care services we offer
We offer both visiting care and live-in care services to suit your needs.
With visiting care, our carers will visit you at home as little or as often as you need - whether that’s a couple of times per week, or several times per day.
Visits from 30 minutes a week
Flexible support
Condition-led care
Live-in care will see one of our fantastic carers come to live with you in your home to provide round-the-clock support and companionship.
24-hour care
Life on your own terms
Handpicked carer
Book a Care Consultation with Helping Hands
We understand that arranging care can be daunting, but with Helping Hands, it’s as easy as 1,2,3! We’ll make the process as straightforward as possible for you, right from the moment you first contact us.
Speak to our team
Call our team to talk through your options and ask any questions you may have. They’ll arrange your consultation appointment to suit you
Free home care assessment
Your local care manager will visit you to discuss your needs and learn about the type of carer you’re after, whether visiting or live-in care
Find your carer
We’ll match you with one of our carers who fits your preferences and has the right skills and experience for your needs