An elderly relative becoming less mobile and needing help in the home or perhaps you aren’t able to do as much for yourself anymore as you’d like to?

These new circumstances can be difficult to accept but the realisation comes sooner or later that help may be necessary.

What points, then, should you bear in mind if free HSE home help hours aren’t available to you and you need to buy in some assistance?

Catherine Cox is head of communications at Family Carers Ireland (formerly the Carers Association and Carers Ireland) and she has some practical advice.

The first tip is to find out if any other help is available free of charge.

“You should check out if there are any voluntary organisations that might be able to provide you with some assistance without a fee being involved,” she says.

“Family Carers Ireland does have a small budget for supporting families who might not be able to get support from the HSE. The Alzheimer’s Society may be able to help also if the patient has developed dementia, for example.”

The main thing is talk to the HSE (your public health nurse or local clinic).

“They will be able to recommend a voluntary organisation in the area, perhaps, who could support you.”

She also advises checking out the Family Carers Ireland website (www.familycarers.ie) or ringing the freephone careline on 1800-240 724 for advice.

Find out if the company meets required standards

The next point relates to the private company you’re researching having the proper standards.

“At the moment, home care is not regulated,” the spokesperson says.

“This is something we’ve been calling for, for many years, and it will probably happen over the next two years. In the meantime, make sure that the company has a quality standard like ISO 9000 and that caregivers coming into your home have a FETAC Level 5 qualification in healthcare. This would mean that the caregiver has the accredited training.”

It’s important also to check that the organisation/agency has proper staff supervision.

“That way, the family will know that they are going to get a good service.”

Dangers of going it alone

A family getting someone in themselves to do caring or home help duties can lead to complications, she said.

“Homeowners should be aware that they become employers in this situation – with all the associated responsibilities. If the care worker was hurt in the course of their work, the family would be liable. If you’re using an agency and something happens to a caregiver while at work, the agency has public liability to cover the householder if there was a claim.”

If you are employing a person, informing your insurance company is very important, she says.

“They have to know and being an employer may affect your insurance premium.”

New regulations coming

New rules and regulations around homecare are being sought by support organisations like Family Carers Ireland.

“The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is working on the regulation of homecare, for example. This will be more about regulating the people coming into the home as care providers than about the home itself,” she says.

'Getting' with the client

But what about the person in need of care ‘gelling’ with the caregiver – is that important?

“The client getting on with the caregiver is definitely significant but it’s not a case of being able to pick from a group of people. The company will try to match the caregiver with the client as well as possible.”

Contract needed to entice more staff

Getting enough staff can be difficult for care providers, she says.

“Caregivers’ employment rights are very poor and quite often their work is not guaranteed, so that makes the job less attractive. Many don’t want to work at weekends also. It’s difficult then to get staff and retain them in those roles because, unfortunately, they don’t have huge security in their employment.”

Family Carers Ireland, who provide care services themselves, has brought this issue to Government many times, she says.

“If we could employ people and guarantee them 40 hours, even if it was in different homes, at least then we’d be able to give them a contract that would give them security in their employment. This can cause difficulty for families who want caregivers because they can’t get good people if the agencies/companies can’t get good staff.”

Not everyone cut out for the job

Catherine admits that it is a job that doesn’t suit everyone.

“It is a vocation and not everybody is cut out for it. You need to be an empathetic, caring person and then have the necessary skills and training as well.”