Have you decided on live-in care as the best way to provide for a loved one’s care needs? What now? How do you go about finding a care provider who can meet those needs?
Does it matter if they’re local?
If you are considering live-in care then you are perhaps wondering if it really matters if your care provider is local. If you are going to employ a single carer yourself and are prepared to take on the caring duties when the carer is off-duty, on holiday or ill then you may be able to find a care worker who is prepared to move to where the job is – some “empty nester” carers are happy to move from job to job in this way.
If you cannot cover your carer and want a care agency who can send a replacement or offer care on a rota basis then you will have to go through a local agency so that the care workers do not need to travel long distances to reach you.
Three ways to find a care provider
These days the internet is the first port of call when looking for any service and in-home care is no exception. There are three main ways in which you can locate local home care providers: directly, through an agency or through an agency hub.
Direct Searching
Anyone looking for live in care jobs will be searching and advertising on the internet and so can you if you feel confident in finding a suitable candidate. Just like advertising for any other job you can place an advert and sift through the respondents until you have a short-list for interview. Depending on your area, you may find this approach yields few results, however.
Through an agency
There are basically two types of agency-managed and introductory. A fully managed agency will have a bank of carers and will very likely have a carer available in your area ready to start work. You pay the agency and the agency will employ the carer so you do not need to worry about employment rights, NI contributions, tax status and so on.
The other type of agency is an introduction agency. They will hold a list of carers looking for work and will put you in touch with a suitable selection based on your needs. Often they will provide DBS checks and will follow up references so that you can be confident that the carer is competent and trustworthy.
Umbrella Organisations or Hubs
Whilst agencies can take a lot of the leg- (or typing finger) work out of finding a carer you still have the problem of locating a home care services agency operating in the right area. Another option is to start your search by logging on to a website run by a collection of care agencies. Their members will be listed according to the areas they serve which will allow you to quickly make a short-list of agencies to approach.