How much to pay a live in carer

A question about : How much to pay a live in carer

i have spent over 4 years looking after Mum and Dad ( he is now deceased) and latterly Mum has had agency visits 4 times a day which are funded by Social services. I have just gone back to work and as Mum has been hospitalised twice in the last 2 month due to falls the family think we now need to get direct payments and employ a live in carer.
We are awaiting an assesment of how much they will give Mum to pay for her own care. We have interviewed a number of people and have 2 in mind. We would like to give one a trial next weekend but are unsure how much we should pay for the weekend and full time if we decide to take her on.
Any ideas anyone?

Best answers:

• Have you had a look to see what the going rate for carers in your area is?
• as she receives 5 x visits a day, i cant see her being assessed for more than around 12 hours a week at most.
  you have to pay minimum wage ( if it was my relative being cared for, i wouldnt want to be paying rock bottom).
  you will also need liability insurance.
  surely you will need to employ more than one carer too?
  
• I looked into this for Mum and Dad a few years ago. If you employ directly, you have to get involved in all the relevant legislation and insurance, etc.
  There are several firms who provide carers (eg, www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/ - no experience so it's not a recommendation) but the fees start at about Ј800 a week.
  Carers also have to have time off during the week and rotate so that they also have a regular block of time off.
• They would be a care worker or care assistant of course not a Carer
  Who is a Carer? and why is it essential to not misuse the term.
• Its a difficult area of employment law.
  Mojosla is totally correct about time off.
  I wouldn't contemplate employing direct without at least 4 employees if you are looking at 24/7 care and its highly unlikely she would get that kind of funding as Nanny says
  Having a companion living in the property is possible but Social Services wont fund an informal agreement They would need to be formally employed for the DP to be used for paying the carer. And therr is also the further complication that you cannot unless there are very extenuating circumstances use a DP to pay someone who is resident at the sane address.
  It also isn"t that easy to find someone who can live in full time with no real pay? Despite free accommodation. That's why there are specialist companies like Mojosla has given a link to.
  It can be a full time job managing it all.
  I don't agree care homes are on the whole the best option but sadly and wrongly its becoming increasingly difficult because of lack of funding to keep people in there own homes.
  Is there no in between option like sheltered housing with carers on call and on site? With communal activities? A lot of these schemes are coming back now and we have quite a lot recently built in our area They also often gave "extra care" options on site for when the care needs increase in the future .
• I just want to say taking someone on to live with your Mum that you don't know on the basis you describe. You really need to vet them thoroughly. That would include a CRB check, references from previous
  employers and landlords
  Why would some one live 24/7 with somebody with no other income and provide adhoc care on demand?
  You also need to be aware that Social Services might also be concerned rightly so at some unvetted person moving in with your Mum as she is a vulnerable adult..
  You cannot do a police check as an individual either its a grey area even with doing it through a DP support service.
• I would discuss everything you have said here with your Mum's social worker. These situations are never easy but I really don't think its an option to move a complete stranger unvetted in with your Mother regardless of their nationality. There could also be issues regarding rights to reside or work with in the UK without proper vetting you have no way of knowing this.
  Any Social Worker worth there sort will make all this clear to your siblings
  You also need to be aware that Legally social services have the duty of care to your mum not relatives. Without a Lasting Power of Attorney for Care or Financial matters they also have the final decision in regard to your Mums care.
• I have spent overnight thinking about your replies and just found a voicemail on my phone from Adult Social Care which is obviously a reply to my questions yesterday about funding.
  My brother initially interviewed these ladies and I know the other one brought references ( because I saw them) but not sure about this one. I am due to speak to her today about next weekend so will ask her about NI status etc. I know this will cause trouble with brother and younger sister as they think its me not wanting to give up looking after Mum. What it actually is is concern for my Mum that we are making the wrong move here. After all she has 4 times a day care ( from a lovely agency and she is quite fond of some of the ladies and the office ladies are very good too) and a cleaner twice a week ( employed by me and she is a lady I have known for 20 years and she is great) and a gardener my older sister pays for ( Dad was a great gardener and Mum frets if it's not tidy). I go in every day but not for so long now when I am working.
  The main worry is when I go away working for my sister on catering jobs so maybe what we need is someone we can call on for those times. So confused now
• Sorry to hear your siblings are still making life difficult for you.
  Even if someone brings references, they don't mean anything more than the paper they're on unless you follow them up - not just contacting the people who supposedly wrote them but making sure they are real people and not mates of the interviewee.
• If you're looking at the live in care route, you also need to consider back up plans for when the carer is ill, on holiday/ wants to have longer off to go on holiday/ resigns at short notice/ doesn't turn up. This generally involves using agency to cover at short notice and accepting whoever they have available. Agency cover is expensive and you then need to spending more time interviewing new staff. Even if you do a week on and a week off which is the usual arrangement you still need a back up for unplanned contingencies.
  My friend used to arrange live in carers for a woman with ms and when it went well it was fine. However the person being cared for did not suffer fools gladly and carers didn't tend to stay around. It's more difficult to keep a decent pool of staff than your brother seems to appreciate. Is he prepared to be the one on the end of the phone if your mum is ever left without care for any reason, because someone needs to be. If he thinks it's such a great idea, tell him he can sort out any problems that do arise.
  You could try looking at companies like penderels, who help with managing care and direct payments. It can still be a lot of work though, keeping on top of payments etc.
• Please try to emphasise to your brother that a live-in carer WILL NOT and CANNOT prevent your Mum falling. Picture this: carer is in the kitchen preparing food, Mum is in the other room within call but she decides to get up out of her chair to reach for something and she slips on the carpet and bangs her head on a piece of furniture. Or she has a bad dream in the night, becomes confused, tries to get up and trips on her nightie or her slippers. Anything can happen.
  Last week when my husband was in hospital there was a man in the same ward who'd fallen in his home. He already has carers coming in, was using a zimmer frame but had slipped on the carpet and broken both his legs. You would think it was impossible for him to fall - he doesn't even have to get out of his chair except when his carers come, but he had got up and even the zimmer frame hadn't prevented him falling.
• I'd have kicked off at my brother now if I were you.
  I agree totally with PasturesNew...my dad had an excellent care home, you just have to choose very carefully.
  I suspect that your brother may bully the live-in assistant the way he bullies you, and that could lead to another mess entirely. Please listen to what margaretclare is saying, she is absolutely right!
  HBS x