Choosing the right care for relatives is an important decision. Everyone naturally wants the best quality care at an affordable price, but more importantly they want their loved one to be safe and happy…. and for most, no matter what age they are, there’s simply no place like home.
The big question for many is how do they go about organising this care?
ALHomecare says people are nervous these days about nursing homes and there is a preference for reliable support in the person’s own home.
There are many private visiting care agencies which offer homecare, but this service can be expensive, costing up to 25 euro per hour and 200 euro per night.
"This is a lot of money for any family to pay on an ongoing basis. And because these are visiting carers, are you going to have the same carer coming every time or will there be a lot of different carers coming in, which can cause confusion and anxiety for the elderly person.
"If a relative is in need of care and wants to stay at home, but if private visiting care is too expensive and not so consistent, do we have any another option?"
Affordable Live-in Homecare (ALHomecare for short ) says it has been placing live-in carers nationwide since 2013 and has placed more than 500 live-in carers in this time.
"The carer comes and lives with the client in the client’s own home. They are there at night for the client's comfort and reassurance or in case of an emergency. Then by day the carer does housekeeping, prepares meals, keeping company and provide personal care, if required."
The carer normally works five to six days per week and seven to eight hours per day. The carers can break their working day into blocks of time, so for example, they can do two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and three hours in the evening. If night time care is the issue, then carers can provide active care by night and then rest by day.
"Live-in care means consistent, reliable and dedicated care in a relative's own home. The carer develops a dedicated and supportive relationship with the relative which gives great peace of mind."
All ALHomecare says its carers are garda vetted, reference checked and provided with ongoing training and support. And all placements come with a three week trial period.
ALHomecare says it has a " tried and tested service that works", having placed some 500 live-in carers and currently has over 130 live-in carers working in the country.
ALHomecare's most popular grade of carer, the Carer Plus costs from 485 euro per week with accommodation and food provided to the carer. For this, the carer lives in, works five days per week, seven hours per day. Then any extra hours she works costs 12 euro gross per hour.
"This means that ALHomecare is offering a homecare solution that is not only very reliable, professional and personalised, but also excellent value for money."
Families can claim up to 40 per cent tax relief on homecare, if their relative is incapacitated, ie, incapable of caring for themselves.
ALHomecare charges a placement fee for setting up the placement at the start.
Here is what one ALHomecare’s client, the Martin family, wrote recently about the service:
"For almost two years now my family has availed of ALHomecare’s service. An excellent carer was sourced for my mother who suffers from dementia. All of her references, garda checks, legal status, training and past experiences were supplied to us, which meant we were confident in employing this carer and welcoming her into our home….I have no hesitation recommending ALHomecare and they deserve to go from strength to strength for their vision in providing a unique model of affordable care to Irish people. Thank you."
For more information visit www.alhomecare.ie Phone the manager 087-7440729 or reception on 087-9916791 If interested in working as a live-in carer, contact [email protected].
