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Choosing the Best Home Care Provider in Watford

Welcome to your free guide to choosing the best home care provider in Watford. We understand this is a big decision, so we are here to share some tips on what to look for.

Daughter with her elderly mum
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Choosing the Best Home Care Provider in Watford Tip 1: Look for "Quality"

Whether you are looking for a low or high level of support for Mum and Dad, finding the right team makes all the difference. But how do you know what that looks like?

At Home Instead, we believe your search has to start with seeking quality. And quality means three things: firstly, the services; secondly, the attention to care; and thirdly, ensuring your loved one feels secure, valued, and genuinely cared for in every interaction.

How can you define a home care provider’s quality? Well, to us, it has to be something that they live and breathe. It should be evident in their marketing (for example, things like this guide). It should be apparent in their communications and your interactions.

Home Instead Ascot Care Professional supporting client

We base our home care on four foundational elements:

1. Compassion

2. Consistency

3. Professionalism

4. Personalisation

We demand these qualities from every care professional, care manager and member of our wider team. So you’ll find us:

– Ensuring that we are offering genuine help where we can –

– Creating personalised care plans that make a real difference to mental well-being, as well as physical health – 

– Employing, training and developing team members and carers who convey warmth, patience and respect –

– Working with clinicians, hospitals and adult support services –

– Supporting the elderly community to provide assistance and learn from their experiences –

These are the benchmarks we use to measure the true quality of our home care services, and we think that’s a pretty good signal to look for.

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Tip 2. Always Look for How Your Home Care Services Can Be Personalised

Personalisation is a really important factor in choosing the best home care provider in Watford because Mum and Dad’s needs will change. They may have instances where they need temporary or additional support, or they might have added complexities with health and medication. Choosing a one-size-fits-all care plan isn’t going to work. It leaves you stressed, and aspects of Mum and Dad’s well-being slipping through the cracks.

What you need is a provider who has a range of quality care-specific services that can be adapted and personalised along your care journey. For example, at Home Instead Watford, we offer:

Home Instead Care Pro supporting her client on a trip to the local post office
  • Personal care: Supporting daily tasks like washing, dressing, and toileting in a way that maintains dignity.

  • Companionship care: Alleviating loneliness through conversation, shared activities, or a friendly face regularly popping in.
  • Respite care: Offering short-term relief for family carers who need to recharge or attend to other responsibilities. It also offers care for those discharged from the hospital or recovering from illness or invasive treatment.

  • Live-in care: Providing 24/7 support within the home for those who need round-the-clock assistance.

  • Specialist care: For conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s, or post-stroke recovery, delivered by carers with specific training and experience.
  • Support for the wider family: Our care teams are set up to offer trained advice on care and how to handle new situations, like dementia behaviours.

You’ll most likely want a blend of these over time. Catering to that level of flexibility helps us proactively work with you to adapt to change without stress. No switching providers. No bringing in extra companies. Just a seamless integration of additional support when you need it. And Mum and Dad are happier for it, which makes all the difference to their wellness.

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Tip 3. Look for a Solid Reputation, Good Local Expertise and a Dash of Community Building

Sounds obvious, right?! A solid reputation is a critical component of quality assurance. So, what’s the best way to gauge a provider’s reputation?

  • CQC Ratings: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) evaluates care providers in the UK. “Good” or “Outstanding” ratings indicate safe and effective care.Check out our rating here.

  • Personal Recommendations: Ask around. Can your neighbours, family, or community recommend a provider based on their experience?

  • Awards and Recognition: Has the provider received any regional or national accolades for their service? Industry recognition reflects a commitment to consistent quality. Some ofour notable awards are featured here.
Home Instead Farnborough client with her care pro

Ok, so how do you gauge local expertise? You need to ask questions. Providers who are deeply integrated within communities offer unique advantages. They possess local knowledge, quicker response capabilities, and a great understanding of what matters most to families in the area. For example, they’ll know the most convenient prescription pharmacies in Watford, how to coordinate with doctors, have a team of local carers, and know where the best day centres are. Ask about how they work with their local community to support their clients.

Beyond how a provider interacts with the senior community, it’s also worth considering how they show up for their elderly clients. To us, at Home Instead, it has to be in their community building. Are they out on the ground making a difference where it matters? Part of our team’s remit is to do just that, so when you work with us, you’ll hear about our local events, like our upcoming VE Day party and donating to food banks that support vulnerable elders. We continually build local partnerships, too, meaning you have more access to products and services as needed.

Tip 4. Ask the Right Questions (And Plenty of Them)

You’ll have a laundry list of questions for any provider you engage, which you’ll understandably forget under all the stress of caring for Mum and Dad while juggling work and home life. So, as you write those down, here are some extras you might not have thought about:

1. How flexible is my care plan? This is an excellent question because, as we already discussed, a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t going to cut it. Situations will change. There will be times when Mum or Dad needs a little extra help, or they are well enough to downscale their care services. An excellent home care provider should have a flexible service to cater to your needs. At Home Instead, we believe strongly that every care plan needs flexibility, and we are ready to adapt to what’s next, even at short notice.

2. How do you choose carers, and how do you adhere to industry compliance? This will be a critical question because it will highlight if a provider is crossing their ‘t’s and dotting their ‘i’s. Ensuring your provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and conducts enhanced DBS checks on all staff is vital. As is insurance. Home Instead is fully transparent about our regulatory compliance and can share specific information about your care plan. When it comes to choosing care professionals, your provider should also indicate they are doing their due diligence. Our rigorous recruitment process involves all the obvious checks on fit and compatibility with our business and services, as well as their passion for care. To work with us, a carer must demonstrate that they want to positively impact those they care for.

3. How do you support the carers we will work with, and what training do they get? Understanding how your provider approaches team selection and development shows how much they care about the quality of work carers provide. More than that, it can also indicate how happy carers are to stay in their jobs. Because just like any other profession, the best staff are those who feel supported and provided for. Well-prepared and valued carers provide the best care support for your family and they stick around. Want to learn more about how we do things? Check out  our award-winning training here and ask us plenty of questions about how we support your team.

4. How do you choose the right carer for your clients? When you ask this question, a provider’s answer will give you an early indication of how things will or won’t work for you. An effective provider will consider factors such as personality, life experience and the hobbies of your care professional, as well as their care experience when matching them to clients. Through careful matching, you should get a better fit the first time, making accepting care easier for Mum or Dad. To facilitate the matching process, we always add an extra step during onboarding, allowing you to meet your carer before you start working together.

5. What happens if my carer is sick? Occasionally, your carer will need some time off; what happens in this situation is a sign of an organised team. Our team is always ready to plan for holidays and unforeseen carer absences, so there will be no break in Mum or Dad’s care. Not even for a minute. We also take precautions when sending a carer back to work to keep Mum and Dad well.

6. How do you address unforeseen emergencies? Reliability is crucial here to minimise disruption and stress. At Home Instead, we proactively prepare for all possible scenarios, ensuring you have the care you need in any situation and our carers are clear on where and when to call for assistance.

7. How will you (and how often will you) communicate about Mum’s/Dad’s care? Regular updates, care notes and open communication from your care provider give you peace of mind and help with planning care. To us, this means an open approach to direct communication. So, when you work with Home Instead Watford, you’ll have access to us via phone, email, app and, of course, face-to-face.

Don’t be afraid to add to our list, even if your question feels ‘silly’. Remember, there are no silly questions here. Your provider should be open and give you a sense of trust. And they should be ready to support you along your care path, which includes answering concerns.

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Tip 5. Consider Mum and Dad's Need for Companionship

We’ve mentioned the importance of carer/caree matching; companionship is a critical element of matching success, so tip number five is all about the emotional and mental support good care should provide.

Home care is more than just a service; it involves cultivating trust, familiarity, and a genuine sense of comfort. Since care services often engage with individuals during their most private and vulnerable moments, this relationship has to be rooted in empathy and respect. And how that support is accepted comes from a client’s trust in their carer/caree relationship.

Mum and Dad also need mental and emotional support to help them adjust and thrive in a care setting. And to understand that, we have to consider that most parents, when they reach an age where their mobility is affected, will lose connection to their friends and community, only seeing those who care for them. The effects of this over the long term can lead to loneliness, which is both stressful and heartbreaking. Adversely, this affects their mental health, which can also be seen in physical deterioration. When you lead home care services with a companionship element, you see the opposite happen; clients come alive and flourish.

senior lady being passed a cup of tea, enjoying independence at home

So when you ask about care matching, listen to all a provider tells you about the practicalities of their care and their view on one-to-one support. You shouldn’t need to probe for this. It should feel evident.

As you can tell, at Home Instead Watford, companionship in care matching and service provision means a great deal to us. We invest time in pairing clients with carers who resonate with them on shared values, interests, or life experiences. We want you to view your care pro as part of Mum and Dad’s social framework because with that trust and openness, if/when home care becomes more complex, they (Mum and Dad), and you are confident that the next step isn’t as difficult as it might otherwise feel.

Tip 6. Trust Your Instincts and Don’t Settle

It’s easy when you think you are under pressure to settle for trying a service and ‘seeing how it goes’, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of your instincts. If a home care provider hasn’t satisfied your questions and doesn’t feel like the best fit for Mum or Dad, step back and try someone else. The best home care teams operate from the heart, and you’ll sense that in every interaction, every phone call, and every visit. They’ll also advise from a base of truth, openly showing their experience and knowledge. Choosing home care is a big decision. Take your time.

Starting Your Home Care Journey with Home Instead Watford: We'll Make it Easy.

To help you make an easier inquiry and booking with us, we’ve kept our process simple. Three steps, in fact.

Our three simple steps to starting home care with Home Instead

Step 1: Getting in Touch

Call us at 01923 250513

or email via [email protected]

Our Care Managers can answer any initial questions. And don’t worry if you aren’t sure what you need; we will ask plenty of questions so that we can advise you on your options.

Step 2: Book a No-Pressure In-Home Consultation

We will schedule a no-obligation home visit once you decide you are ready to move forward. It’s an informal meet and greet, so you can meet our team and see how they interact with Mum and Dad. They’ll help you work on the finer details of your proposed care plan. Remember, nothing is set in stone at this stage; rather, it’s an opportunity for you to get a better feel for what we offer. Something you can’t tangibly get from a phone call or an email.

During the visit, we’ll also provide a complimentary falls assessment to identify any safety issues in your home. You’ll receive a copy of this report at no charge just a few days later. We offer this because Mum and Dad’s independence hinges on their mobility. If we can help decrease the likelihood of falls, we can prevent possible independence issues or hospitalisation moving forward, whether you choose us or not.

Step 3: Introducing You to Your Care Team

When we get your approval to go ahead and implement our home care services, we’ll start our careful care-matching process and arrange a meet-and-greet. This step helps foster good relationships early on and ensures a smooth transition to home care for you and your loved one.

Ready to ask us questions? Call your Home Instead Watford team for help on 01923 250513