First some background.
After Mrs HGB's 'limit of the survivable range' stroke in December 2012, eventually got her home in March 2013. The consultant was rather definite that she would never be well enough to come home but would need to go into residential care. However, my neighbour referred me to a private firm of homecare that she was using for her aged parent and was very satisfied with.
With their absolutely invaluable help and advice I was able to put together a care plan to get Mrs HGB home, with the NHS loaning us med bed (with mattress thingie that chugged all day and night), patient hoist and slings, bedpans etc etc etc. I converted the dining room into our version of a Cottage Hospital and brought her home (with a contingency plan for residential nursing care transfer if it all proved unworkable and unsafe. Camp bed for me so when she woke up in the night I was right there).
Set off with four visits daily each of two carers but as I gained experience we were able to throttle back first to three visits and then two. Now eleven years later Mrs HGB has made some progress but remains unable to stand, walk, talk, use her right arm etc etc as the obvious issues plus others less visible.
Now.
We are still using the local homecare services company all these years on and throughout the time the individual carers have ranged from pretty good to utterly excellent. One of the senior carers in the mix was one of those who helped us devise the original plan and get it up and working all those years age.
I am principal carer between the carer calls, and for overnight etc and if I say so meself, just about manage it. However there are some things which, although I can and do carry out, are more welcomed from other ladies, shall we say. From her mood standpoint, the positive effect on her mood and morale from the carers we see is amazing. They talk with her not over her, which is not always the case in care scenarios (particularly in hospitals!)
To some extent it almost feels like when you are not so well and your mates are helping you out -only mates who are experts in patient handling and other aspects of care (and some with nursing experience too). THey have become friends in addition to the 'business' relationship, and I am very conscious that we are incredibly lucky to have found them, particularly in the light of some of the horror stories we have heard in other people's experiences with care services (like my late Mother's down in Greenwich. Non-English speaking, slapdash and dishonest. Grrr).
For the first six years after stroke day I also had Mrs HGB's (now late) mum on the premises too and as she became increasingly frail as well as, er, *confused*, I was able to add another single call for her care too. (Got on with her but realistically me doing anything for her of a personal nature , outside emergencies, would have been wrong for her and for me). Her needs were nothing like as complex as for Mrs HGB, but as expected, the standard of care they provided to her was equally as good.
Not all carers are the same. I suspect most are pretty good but there is no doubt that there are some who are definitely not suited to this kind of work. Our providers seem to be very good at avoiding anyone like that when recruiting, probably helped by their deliberate decision to keep the business at a scale where visibility of maintained high standards remains effective. There may be cheaper services around, but they are worth every penny and more.
And recently, they have helped me put together the contingency plans for various scenarios going forward, just in case.
If I had to sum the homecare people we us in a single word it would be 'exemplary'.
Sorry all for rambling on.
