How to find the right live in carer?
Finding the right live-in carer for you is an important part of the care process. After all, they’re going to be living in your home with you and therefore it’s important that your personalities suit each other. At Helping Hands, we work tirelessly to match you with a live-in carer, taking all of your requirements into account and ensuring you both get the most out of the placement. Because we’re a private home care company established for more than 30 years, you can trust that we have the infrastructure and procedures in place to source only the most exceptional carers. Unlike with care agencies, we manage every aspect of your care package and directly employ our carers. This means that they are free to focus on what matters most – your daily care.
Qualifications
There aren’t essential qualifications for being an excellent carer, it’s much more important to have natural qualities of compassion and kindness. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some minimums standards that need to be met during the early stages of being a carer, and at Helping Hands we’re particular about making sure these are achieved. One of these standards is the Care Certificate, which Skills for Care describe as “an agreed set of standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles in the health and social care sectors.” By assessing all of our carers against the 15 minimum standards when they join us, we can be sure that every carer has a core knowledge base that can then be built upon as their experience grows.
Experience
While we don’t expect all our carers to be highly experienced when they join us, we certainly respect the skills of people who are. We work tirelessly to make sure that everyone reaches Care Certificate standards as a minimum, but we also love discovering what knowledge our carers already possess and enjoy hearing about the experience they’ve built up over the years. We always encourage our live-in carers to enhance their skills and undertake further knowledge if they would like to do so, and if their customer has specific or complex care needs, we will upskill their carers to meet those needs.
Lifestyle Similarities
We work hard to match you with a live-in carer who will share your interests whenever possible, ensuring that you’ll enjoy each other’s’ company while keeping you safe and supported. With a handpicked carer, your routine will continue as it always has done, while you receive the dedicated round-the-clock support you need. The idea of having someone living in your home may seem a little daunting at first, however we work hard to find you a live-in carer you’ll feel comfortable with. Whether you need someone who can drive, a choice of male or female, certain levels of experience, an animal lover, or someone who has the same hobbies as you, we can help.
Align Time Off and Holidays
Our live-in carers work tirelessly around the clock to ensure that you have all the support you need. While caring for someone else is the most rewarding job you can have, it can also be physically and emotionally tiring, so it’s vital live-in carers get regular time off. Knowing that your usual carer is going to take a break can be a worry when you’ve got used to the person who looks after you, so having fully-managed support from Helping Hands reassures you and your loved ones that you’ll always receive a continuity of care.