Not all home care is the same…
- The cost of care can appear reasonable, but some companies take out their carers’ travel time from your care time. A 30 minute care call could be 15 minutes care, and 15 minutes travel. Independent Living stays the full allotted time and our carers clock in and out using a QR code.
- Expensive care companies often try to avoid giving you a price on the telephone. They aim to obtain a face-to-face “care assessment” in your home and then persuade you to take high-priced care. Independent Living informs all potential customers of our prices upfront before any meeting.
- Independent Living’s office is based in Chorley and Leyland. Companies may use virtual local landlines to appear locally based, but you could actually find they are running their business 20 miles away. Independent Living has our full main management team in our Chorley office, and we can be in Leyland quickly.
- Care companies charging high prices may tell you that will get the same carer every time (continuity of care). Care companies have to use more than one carer because carers rarely work 7 days a week. Having one carer means the customer will be too reliant on one person, and it may cause difficulties when that carer takes a holiday. Independent Living is honest with you, and we say for most care packages we will use 2-4 regular carers.
- Companies may state that they do a minimum of one hour’s care because this is “quality care”. One hour care blocks are easier for the company to plan, and they invoice for a full hour. Independent Living believes “quality care” is what the customer wants, and is needed to carry out the tasks in the Care Plan. We can do calls for 30/45 and 1 hour, or more.
- A number of companies will tell you they can do the call time you want to get your business, but do not stick to them when they start care. At Independent Living we are truthful about what times we have available because we know finding care is stressful.
- American Franchises now operating in the UK use terms such as “seniors” and “caregivers” on websites and marketing materials. Independent Living is not controlled from America and we are free to use terms understood in Lancashire such as “customers” and “carers”.
- Other care companies may have hidden charges. They may charge you a “retainer fee” which means you still pay for care if a loved one temporarily leaves the service such as to go in hospital or respite care. You may have to give a long notice period, and could pay for care beyond when you need it. Independent Living has no retainer fees, and we will cancel all care with 24 hour’s notice.
- Increasingly national companies are promoting technology based solutions for home care. We believe our elderly customers want person-to-person contact. Independent Living believes nothing beats meeting people face-to-face contact.
