© Danielle Robertson Consulting Pty Ltd t/as DR Care Solutions
Do not put up with poor homecare service!
A pre-eminent Estate Lawyer approached DR Care Solutions after meeting with one of his clients. At the meeting the daughter expressed her concerns with the home care her 93-year-old mother, Ruth*, was receiving from a large HomeCare Provider. The lawyer paid the mother a visit to assess the situation.
Concerned about what he saw, the Lawyer called in DR Care Solutions to assess Ruth, review the service provision and determine the right care solution for her.
Diagnosed as legally blind, Ruth was living alone in a large two-storey home. While physically well and cognitively sharp, her visual impairment left her feeling vulnerable, often confused, and nervous about living alone.
Ruth's HomeCare Provider was ‘subcontracting’ their provision of services to seven different care providers. Care services were being provided three times a day, seven days a week.
A carousel of different carers visited the client each day. Ruth didn’t know who was coming each day, nor at what time. With no medication register or carer communication book on site, the administration of her eye drops and other medications was not monitored and so her macular disease worsened.
A carer would 'show up' daily to take her shopping, cook a meal and promptly place the meal in the fridge. Ruth was then left to fend for herself and find the meal in a fridge full of previously boxed and rotting meals.
Further, the daughter noticed that her mother’s housekeeping funds had increased dramatically and that there were no receipts to account for the money spent.
In this scenario:
DR Care Solutions was engaged and within one week, DR Care Solutions:
Ruth has been able to remain at home. She continues to receive quality homecare from the new provider and enjoys the new care structure introduced by DR Care Solutions.
Rather than having visits three times a day by different carers, the one carer visits each day for several hours (between six to eight hours per day, seven days a week). This has improved the client's health and quality of life. She now enjoys:
Having wonderful companionship from mature and interesting carers has been an added bonus for Ruth.
Meanwhile, the previous care provider wanted to charge Ruth a $2,500 exit fee to move care providers. DR Care Solutions stepped in to ensure that there was no exit fee and that Ruth's existing funds were moved in full to the new provider.
DR Care Solutions continues to review Ruth's situation, keeps in touch with the daughter and the new care provider on a monthly basis.
The daughter has advised that her mother is more comfortable having the same, reliable and lovely carers in place to enable her to remain at home with quality care for as long as possible. She doubts whether her mother would still be alive if she didn’t have such good quality care in place. With DR Care Solutions remaining in contact on a regular basis, the daughter has peace of mind that the quality of care remains.
* Names have been changed to protect the identity and privacy of subjects.
For more information, please reach out to Danielle Robertson at DR Care Solutions for an initial discussion on how to set up the right care, support and assistance for your loved one, at the right time and in the right place.