Blog #3: In-Home Care

1.    Describe what (if anything) you know/think of when you hear “in-home care” as an option for your senior.  I think of professionals such as nurses visiting homes, it can also be people who provide other services such as cleaning, meals and washing services. 

What do you perceive as potential positives of “in-home care” – what might it do better than other options? The individual can remain in the comfort of their own home and everything is brought to them, they don't have to venture out.

Anything “in home care” might not do as well as other options or that limit its role for your senior? They may not have the mobile equipment/facilities that is available in a hospital or in a care home.

2.    Have you heard of Home Instead as a provider of “in-home care”?  I have not heard of this company.

Explain any knowledge & perceptions (positive/negative) you have & where they came from. As I have not heard of them I have no existing knowledge or perceptions.

3.    Please go to the Home Instead website at: UK: https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/Index.do  

a)    First, what is your “gut reaction” to Home Instead as you look around? It looks professional, organised and seems to come highly recommended.

b)    How would you describe what Home Instead offers in just a sentence or two? They are specialists in non-medical care of elderly people in their own homes. They are a leading home care company that cares for people by showing respect and dignity to others.

c)    How is their approach different from other options?  Is this important to you?

They appear to have a local office and appear to be highly rated/recommended by their users. This is extremely important to me as I always read other users reviews. You can't beat a personal recommendation of a service.

d)    What specifically did you notice & connect with – these could be offerings, descriptions, images, words, etc.  Describe why?

I picked up on the 2017 Top ten awards which is current and wouldn't have been easy to achieve. 

I also picked up on the 96% of clients recommend - This is a very high percentage so it indicates that they must be doing well and doing things right.

e)    Anything that did not connect with you?  Please be specific & describe why? I have to say that there is nothing that I didn't connect with, I like the sound of the whole offering. 

3.    Thinking about your senior parent/loved one’s wants/needs:

a)    To what degree does Home Instead seem like a good fit for your senior vs. other senior options?  What specifically makes you say that?  How well does it deliver on your/your senior’s wishes from Blog #2?

It seems to fit perfectly on both counts as they are very very very keen to stay in their own home and not go into any type of residential home

b)    Is there anything that makes you nervous or would hold you back from trying Home Instead?    What could they do/offer to address this?

The only minor point might be that they seem to be a large corporate company and we might feel that we are a small fish in a large pond/just a small number in the grand scheme of things. To address this, they need to make sure that they offer a personal/tailored service to my Mum and make her feel special/that her care matters.

c)    Detail when & how (if at all) you see Home Instead potentially fitting into your future plans?  

Any time now as she is already receiving daily services from the NHS. 

Do you see it as a short-term option, a long-term option or both – why?  

I would see this as a long-term option as it is needed, my Mum has a terminal illness so she isn't going to get any better.

Is there a point where “in-home care” seems non-optimal?  If so, what else could Home Instead do to extend its ability to meet your needs? I wouldn't say so as a person always needs some some of support even when it is classed as end of life care. 

4.    Choose an image (e.g.: Google) of the person/home that best depicts who would use Home Instead & explain why?  How is this person different from a person who may choose another option?  Which do you/your senior relate to more & why? 

This is a picture of my Mum/home on her 70th birthday in the good old days, she would definitely be a target for Home Instead as she really really wants to stay at home. I guess she is very different to a person who is happy to move into a residential home. We relate to the fact that this is in-home services and my Mum will be able to remain as comfortable and as happy as she can be in the negative circumstances.

5.    Finally, based on your Home Instead impressions, create an ad that would convince someone in a similar situation to check out Home Instead as an option. You may use a combo of words, images & even your own drawings.

Combo Of Words - Professional, organised, caring, respectful, world leading, local and unique.

Images - Home Instead would allow my Mum to stay at home and spend time with her granddaughters - they can even have fun sharing my Mum's wigs which means a lot to her.

She can have her hair/wig styled in the comfort of her own home.

My Mum can be visited by her 2 sisters more easily at home.

Blog #2: What Matters

For this blog, please complete Qs. #1-4 independently first.  Then, interview your parent/relative/loved one & share their responses to #1, #2 and #4.  Last, complete #5 independently, reflecting on your interview.  [If an interview is not possible, blog on how you think your parent would respond, based on past conversations.]

1.    There are many portrayals of what life looks like in the advanced years:

a)    Think about what you want future years to look like for your parent/relative/ loved one, upload 3-4 images (e.g.: Google) to depict this & describe what they signify.

The above 4 images are all about family time and party/celebration time. I want future years for my Mum to be happy, memorable times, spent with her close family, especially her 3 x grandchildren.

b)    Now choose 3-4 images that do not depict what you envision for your parent/relative/loved one and describe why. 

The above 3 images illustrate what I don't want the future to hold for my Mum:

For her not to feel trapped in the Big 'C' word.

Not to have to wear a wig because of the chemotherapy taking all of her hair away.

Not to be broken by cancer. 

c)    What are key differences between the two depictions & why this is important?

The key differences between the 2 sets of pictures are happy and sad, the first set depict happiness and joy, the second set depict sadness and the sense of feeling trapped/broken.

2.    How important is staying at home (one’s own or a relative’s) as one ages?  Why?

Very important as they can feel very comfortable and enjoy the comforts of being on their own home.

  Please blog about what being able to stay at home does for a person physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.   Why is this important?  I think it helps them to feel calm, relaxed and comfortable, this is very important as they have enough to worry about in terms of their ill health. 

Last, upload an image of how an older person that lives at home may feel and an image of how an older person who is not able to live at home may feel.  Describe your choices.

Who lives at home - Happy and maybe they feel it is like Mothers Day every day as they get cared for, spoilt and treated all of the time.

Who is not able to live at home - Upset, frustrated, tearful, deserted and maybe like a baby as they are not capable of looking after themselves/need to rely on others. 

3.    Please explain your journey to-date in helping provide/arrange care for an older person:

a)    What research have you done & what are your sources of information? Looked online and spoke to local GP/nurses, family, support units and charities in this field. 

b)    Who has been involved in any research/decisions and to what extent? Myself mainly and my Dad in part.

c)    How/when did you begin conversations with your parent/relative/loved one about care?   Why then?  In early 2017 when she came off a trial drug and started to deteriorate. 

Describe how you approached the subject? By just having a low key/informal/friendly chat.

 How did the conversation go?   Okay/so so, they were partly receptive  

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?  Maybe tackled the subject in smaller chunks and over a longer space of time.

Any knowledge/tools you wish you had that would have helped? Not really as I felt full informed at the time.

d)    Describe any initial help/care provided & by whom. Then describe how that has evolved over time, and end by detailing what specific help/care is being provided currently & by whom. It started with less frequent GP/nurse visits to more frequent visits which now culminates in daily visits from the nurses.

e)    Upload an image depicting how you feel about where you are right now in this journey & explain why.  

I feel lucky to have had access to a valuable range of resources and opinions which have been a great help.

What do you feel is working right now & what do you feel is not working as well - why?   What might you change & how? It is working having my Mum at home as that is where she wants to be. What is not working is the unpredictability and unreliability of the external support 

f)     How do you know when it’s time to adjust the plan or level of help/care?  When there are further signs of deterioration and when my Mum requests it. Describe any “signs” you looked for in the past or might look for in the future. Increased breathing problems and generally becoming more frail/worsening mobility problems. 

4.    If more help/care is required in the future, what are your top 3 criteria in seeking the best fit in a professional service or facility?   

A. Positive past experience 

B. Fit for purpose

C. Added value

Why are these most important?  Because this is what makes the difference and help my Mum to deal with her illness. 

What options would you consider & how does each stack up on your criteria? More regular and more intense home care is the main option. Residential care home and respite care have been considered.

5.    Reflect on differences between your answers & your parent/loved one’s answers to #1, 2 & 4. Did anything surprise you-why? No surprises as we are both on the same page and we've been through this together over the last 3 years. 

 Could that impact future decisions? Going forward we will discuss and work through this together.

Blog#1: My Life

1.    Please begin by introducing yourself!  Write a couple of paragraphs that tell me about you, your family, your interests & any work or activities you are involved in.  What are you passionate about & why?  Then, upload a few pictures - at least one of yourself and a few other “life in action” pictures that help me better understand your life and what’s important to you.

My name is Joanne, I am 46 years old and I live in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK with my partner, Dave and 2 daughters, Emma and Jasmine. I started my own business in 2001 and I work as a self-employed Recruitment Consultant/Director. My family consists of my partner Dave who is 49 years old and my 2 daughters, Emma who is 5 years old and Jasmine who is 3 years old. I have very little time for hobbies, however, I enjoy cycling, swimming, eating out, walking, reading, surfing online, shopping, holidays and family time, which is my main pleasure. See attached pictures - one of me and 3 family holiday pictures. 

2.    How would you describe your personal philosophy or approach to life at this stage?  This can be in your own words or inspired by a quotation.  Please explain this philosophy, why it resonates with you and how it plays out in your life?  Has your philosophy/approach to life changed over time – if so, how & why? 

My personal philosophy/approach to life is treat every day as if it were your last and work hard play hard. This resonates with me because I have tried it and it works for me and it helps me to get the most out of life. It is not always possible/feasible depending on what is planned for the day and existing commitments. I have had this philosophy/approach to life for a long time and I have tended to stick to it as it gives me a good feeling.

3.    For fun, imagine that your adult life through today was captured in a book:  

a)    What would be the 3-4 key chapters?  For each key chapter, please provide a headline that describes it, upload an image depicting how you feel about that chapter & explain why.  [Images can be from the internet (such as Google Images), from a magazine/newspaper or your own.] 

Chapter 1 - My Younger Days from birth

Chapter 2 - Time at University

Chapter 3 - A Working Singleton

Chapter 4 - A Dedicated Working Mum of 2

Chapter 1 - I have very happy memories of my youth and my early days which was the creation of who I am today.

Chapter 2 - I am proud of my 3 years spent studying at Lancaster University, coming away with an honours degree in Management, I am thankful of my education.

Chapter 3 - After leaving University, I have worked extremely hard, I had a successful career and spent may nights travelling the world working away from home. Had passport, will travel !

Chapter 4 - My happiest and most memorable time, I had 2 wonderful pregnancies, both my 2 daughters were born on their respective due dates and became a first time Mum in my forties. My parents became grandparents which they were delighted about. 

b)    Tell me more about your current chapter.  What are the best parts so far – why?  What are the biggest challenges in this chapter – why?  What has surprised you about this chapter – why?  If you had a magic wand, what would you change or at least “tweak” in this chapter - why?

Best parts - My 2 x kids and making my Mum and Dad very proud grandparents.

Biggest challenges - Balancing everything, 2 properties, own business, 2 x children, doing all the school/nursery runs and caring for my Mum.

c)    Now provide a preview of the next chapter.  Imagine what the headline might be, choose an image that depicts how you feel about that chapter & explain why.  What do you envision?  Most look forward to?  What do you potentially worry about or think could get in the way of your vision?

Next chapter - Headline: Reflection and The Next Era

I most look forward to seeing my 2 beautiful daughters grow up and I constantly worry about my very ill Mum whose time is short.

4.    Think about your relationship with the senior parent/loved one for whom you help provide/arrange care currently: 

a)    If you had to give yourself a job title for the role you currently play in his/her life, what would it be, why & describe that role in more detail.

Carer/Counsellor - I care for my Mum with regards to her day-to-day wellbeing and I listen to her/try to advise the best that I can.

b)    Upload an image (e.g.: from Google images) that depicts how you feel about your current role & why?

I feel broken/the role is breaking my heart as I can see how she is deteriorating day by day.

c)    What do you find gratifying about this role?  Challenging?  Why?

I find it gratifying because I would do absolutely anything/go to the ned of the earth for my Mum, it is challenging because it is very upsetting. My Mum is my best friend and I hate to see her suffering.

d)    How does serving this role impact you, your life and even your day-to-day?  How do you feel about that?

It is a massive drain on my time, however, that's fine, my Mum takes priority because I know her time is very short and I want to do everything I can for her and spend as much time as I can with her. 

e)    Now imagine your ideal relationship with your senior parent/loved one (now & in the near future).  What would your ideal job title be & why?  If different from now, in what way/s & why is that important?

My ideal job title would be Personal Shopper - When my Mum was well, we used to spend hours together shopping until we could shop no more. We loved it. It is different to now as my Mum is not well enough to go shopping.