Home Care in Exeter

What home care in Exeter looks like with me

Home care is a broad phrase and it covers everything from an hour of company a week to several visits a day. What it means for you depends entirely on what has become difficult. For one person it is the morning routine, because getting washed and dressed alone has stopped being safe. For another it is the middle of the day, because meals have quietly become toast and the medication is being forgotten. For a third it is simply that nobody comes to the door from Monday to Friday, and the days have got very long.

I cover all of it. Personal care, which means washing, bathing, dressing, continence support and help moving safely around the house. Medication support, prompting and recording each dose as prescribed. Meals, from preparing food to sitting with someone while they eat. Getting out, to the shops, the surgery, a walk or a coffee. Light housework, so the home stays tidy and safe. And company, which families rarely put at the top of the list and which usually turns out to be the thing that changes the week.

The pattern is decided with you at the first visit and written into a short agreement. It is not fixed. If the mornings are fine but the afternoons have become hard, the arrangement changes to match.

Home care for older people

Most people who need home care are in their seventies, eighties and nineties, and most of them want the same thing, which is to stay in the home they know. The help they need is often smaller than families expect. An hour in the morning to make sure the day starts properly. A hot meal at lunchtime. Somebody to check the fridge, the post and the boiler, and to notice when something has changed.

Being the same person every time matters more here than anywhere. Someone in their late eighties does not want to explain to a stranger where the towels are kept or how they like their tea. After a few weeks I know, and the visit is about them rather than about the logistics.

Home care and dementia

Familiarity is the thing that makes home care work for someone living with dementia. A new face in the hallway can be frightening. The same face, arriving at the same time, doing things in the same order, is reassuring even on days when the name will not come. I keep the routine steady, I do not rush, and I take my cue from the person rather than the clock.

I also tell families what I see. Dementia changes over months and years, and the person visiting regularly is often the first to notice a shift. When the point comes where one carer is no longer enough, I will say so early and help you plan the next step, rather than carrying on until something goes wrong.

Home care for disability and long-term conditions

If you live with a physical disability, Parkinson's, MS, the after-effects of a stroke or a long-term condition, you probably know exactly what help you need and exactly how you want it done. This arrangement suits that well. You are the one directing the care. I am engaged by you, I work to your instructions, and the agreement reflects the way you want your day to run, not a care plan written by somebody who has never met you.

What home care with me does not include

I do not offer live-in care, overnight care or nursing. I cannot give injections, change dressings or carry out treatment that needs a nurse. If someone needs two people to move safely, I will not attempt it on my own. I say all of this plainly because the families who are best served by an independent carer are the ones who know the limits before they start. If your needs sit outside them, I will tell you at the first phone call and point you towards the right service.

Paying for home care in Exeter

This is a privately funded service. My hourly rate is between £20 and £40, depending on what is needed, and I give you one fixed figure at the free first visit. My usual minimum term is three months, paid in advance, and that is open for discussion at the first visit. If Devon County Council has assessed you as eligible for care and offered a direct payment, you may be able to use it to pay a self-employed carer. Plenty of people do. I will explain how that works and what the council expects to see. Rates and terms are on this page, and there is never a charge for the first visit.