If you have concluded that you or a loved one would benefit from homecare services, you are probably wondering about whats the best service to meet your needs. Here we explain the steps you can go through to make the process easier and help you choose the right one.

Assess your needs and make a list

When choosing the right homecare service, it is good to start with assessing your own or your loved one’s needs, to help understand what services would be of greatest benefit to you. Some factors you should consider is whether you need personal care; this involves helping with daily activities in your routine, such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation. Companionship services is all about regaining independence and self-esteem, whether thats help with lifts to different appointments, or just having a friendly face around to offer support. Identifying and assessing your needs will help you identify and determine which services that would be of greatest benefit to you and what level of support and help is needed.

Once you have assessed your needs, it can be a good idea to list what you want from the required service and your expectations. It is advised to be as thorough as possible throughout this stage as it will ensure you find the right service and provider for you and your needs. You list should consider what activities require necessary support, how often you need or want a visit and the best time for visits, as well as your budget. Right At Home offers a broad range of homecare services in the Guildford and Farnham area, including: companion care, personal care and respite care. Right At Home can advise you on their services and can conduct an initial free assessment of your own or your loved ones needs to help ascertain what is required and the best service to fit your needs. Having your list of requirements available and ready will reduce the length of this process and will ensure you have covered everything you need when you meet with them.

Research and compare

Next, you will need to start researching and comparing companies local to you so that you can narrow down who best suits your needs. You can do this in various ways, but initially, check the listings of local providers. Then you can narrow down this list based on qualifications, experience, and accreditations. It can also be helpful to seek recommendations from friends and family or healthcare professionals. A useful site showing both listed companies and providing reviews is homecare.co.uk, where you can find all the essential details, such as contact information and services while reading well-reputed reviews. Right At Home is proud to have an impressive 9.9/10 review average for homecare services on this website. The quality care commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England and, therefore, another good place to look when validating companies. Once you have a short list together, you can schedule a conversation so you can both gain more information. You should have a list of important questions to put to them regarding their experience, costs, emergency protocols and quality assurance measures. Understanding how they match their carers to their clients is also good. Right At Home is very careful regarding this and matches our carer's shared interests and personalities to those of our clients. This is because we appreciate the importance of the carer's role as both a friend and as a support.

Trust your instincts

Trusting your instincts is really important when it comes to something as personal as care in your own or a loved one's home. Whilst all the main checks that you have already done will have established short-list of providers and services, there is a lot to be said for looking at which company you feel would be the best fit for your circumstances. No one knows yours or your loved one's personal situation as well as you do, so that gives you an advantage when selecting a service. When choosing an agency, it is important to trust them, and there are various things you should consider when looking at this. Such as cultural sensitivity, communication style, values, and approach. Ultimately you are looking to select an agency that instils confidence in you and aligns with your expectations. 

If you would like to learn more about how Right at Home's homecare services and how they can help you are a loved one, why not call us on 01252 783426 and speak to one of our care managers? They will be able to answer any questions you might have.

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