Finding the right home care provider in Reigate

Bluebird Care offer home and live-in care across Reigate and the surrounding area. Use our useful guide to help you identify the right home care to suit you and your needs.

Knowing where to start when researching home care providers can be a difficult and daunting task. Not only do you want to ensure you/your loved one will receive a high-quality of care, but that the care received is the best option for the peculiarities of your/their condition. When evaluating the merits of different home care providers,it may be useful to consider the following:

Explore the Variety of Options Offered

Every individual’s circumstances are different, so, of course, the nature of care required by different individuals varies. There is a wide variety of different plans and support options available, both from different providers and within a company, so make sure you give careful consideration to which is the most suitable for you. Read our guide to the different types of care here.

At Bluebird Care, we can tailor a care plan to the client’s condition, allowing each individual to receive a specific and high-quality level of care. This can be extremely useful for those suffering with Alzeimer’s or Parkinson’s, though such a tailored approach may not be necessary for those just looking for companionship, for example. The majority of homecare companies will offer a range of services. Typically, home care assistants are trained to:

• Helping you start the day; getting up, washed, dressed and having a good breakfast.
• Support with medication; remind and assist you in taking medicines, as well as collect or return medication from your pharmacy or dispensing GP surgery.
• Mealtime; prepare meals with or for you and assist you at mealtimes.
• Outings; collect your pension for you or with you, shop with you or help you to make a shopping list, go to the shops, plus come back and put it all away.
• Household; help with your laundry or ironing and keep your home clean and tidy.
• Social outings; support you with social activities like going out for a walk, attending a day centre, visiting friends or family or going to your church or club.
• Personal care; a little pampering when you need it – the occasional visit to organise bathing, clean clothes, fresh bedding and a thoughtfully prepared meal before bedtime.
• At the end of each day, some help with getting ready for bed.

Take Into Account Individual Development

Whilst nobody can know exactly how an individual’s needs will develop and change in the upcoming years, it may be worth considering the expected trajectory when choosing a care provider. If you are anticipating the need for a higher level of care in the future, it is worth looking into whether or not the services a company offer align with this. This may relieve you of the hassle and issues of having to change provider in the years to come.

Consider Continuity  

For some individuals, it can be greatly useful and stabilising to receive the majority of their care from the same carer. Some individuals come to think of their carer as ‘part of their family’, as voiced by one of our carers, Claire (read more about Claire here). Exploring whether or not this continuity is a possibility may be a useful way to distinguish between care providers.

Consult the experts

Having researched what is available in the local area, you should feel fairly confident about the options available to you. When you’re ready to move forward, create a shortlist of the organisations that you felt comfortable speaking to about your care needs. Companies such as Bluebird Care offer free no-obligation assessments which allow you to discuss your care needs in-depth with a trained expert. The care plan will be written following the assessment and should be a true reflection of everything discussed and the needs of the individual.

Care can be changed and increased over time, so if you’re not completely certain of how much care is needed from day one, make a plan to start within your budget and monitor need over time.  A good homecare company will assess the plan after at least one week and then at regular intervals thereafter.

Research the Company’s Reputation

There are a variety of different regulatory bodies for home care provision, so check the reviews online before committing. An example of such a body is Care Quality Commission, or CQC. Websites such as Working Feedback and homecare.co.uk feature customer reviews. This can be useful if you want to learn about the experience of clients who have used the provider for the same services which you are interested in.