We have recently hired a fabulous lady as a carer for mum. And she rocks! We now have routine and mum has 1:1 attention from someone other than me on a regular basis. It took 6 months to get here and it's brilliant. I decided to used to self directed services through social work rather than continue using the councils own provision. This means mum is given a budget and she gets to spend it on care that meets her specific needs. We could use it to hire agency care staff, employ our own staff and pay for daycare and respite services.
We hired Kim. And now every week day she comes at a set time and blethers with mum, makes sure she gets properly washed and dressed, cleans her room (I know - this is an amazing brucie bonus!) and generally makes sure mum is more than ok. When I have work on, she spends the day with her (I no longer have to prowl around for favours). And mum loves her. She even remembers her name.
Life before Kim was very different and not in a good way.
We used the councils homecare services and most of the carers were amazing, but the system they have to work with is far from it.
Time:
Mum was allocated 30 minutes in the morning & evening but most often the carers would be in and out in 15 minutes. For most, this wasn't through malice rather through really big care runs and the nature of the job meaning some clients take longer than others and issues sometimes arising. It's a tough one for them to manage but mum doesn't do well under pressure and often wouldn't get up when the carer arrived.
Routine:
What I know now is that routine is key for mum and apparently most people with dementia. It's difficult to have routine when a carer can turn up any time between 9 & 12 in the morning and 7 & 10 at night. For 15 minutes. Their help was greatly appreciated as while I'm perfectly able and prepared to wash mum, empty her commode and get her dressed, not
having to do this was great. But trying to get and stay organised around such a loose schedule was tough.
Social care:
Homecare staff only do personal care. Other agencies have to be brought in to provide conversation and activities for mum which means involving even more people and organising an even more complex schedule that still isn't full flexible.
So that's the background to Kim starting. And it's clear that in the council care vs Kim....Kim is the gold star winner. She properly rocks!
