Being a 'paid companion' to older person

fluffymuffy

Errata wrote: »

6. Will they expect you to call an ambulance first and them second when YOU judge one is needed?

This reminds me of when I had a Christmas job in Sainsbury's (some years ago). In the back where the stock was kept there was a big (yellow?) button halfway down the corridor to press to evacuate the shop. It was drummed into us during the initial training that we were not to ask anyone's permission to press that button. "When you reach the point where you are thinking of asking then you should have pressed it yourself", was the rule.

susan1

Errata wrote: »

1. Ask the family to specify exactly what they expect you to do
2. It's the family's responsibility to tell you how much they are prepared to pay you
3. It's your decision to accept what they offer or ask for more
4. The family will be your employer, what happens about tax/NI, insurance etc etc etc
5. Do you understand the difference between a little mild eccentricty and developed, and developing, Alzheimer's disease?
6. Will they expect you to call an ambulance first and them second when YOU judge one is needed?
7. If you judge the lady is safe and comfortable and the house secure each time you leave, what happens if you're judgment is wrong?
Just a few things for you to think about before you have a discussion with the family.
Personally I wouldn't touch this with a bargepole if the family's intention is that it's a very informal but paid arrangement.

I couldn't agree more, insurance was the first thing that sprang to my mind but this sums it up perfectly.

silvercar

You need to set a minimum and then an hourly rate, so minimum of £10 which would cover upto an hour and then an extra £7 per hour.

Of course this does mean the family will think you may as well provide companionship for an hour if they are paying the £10 regardless, but it really isn't worth committing to something that is going to pay £2.50 for a quarter of an hour.

kerrydan

If I were the family I would refer to social services for an assessment so they can assess all her needs. If social services determine risks and needs they will either provide care or the family can apply for direct payments to pay you or an agency if you were ill for some reason Based on financial assessment). As the lady has Alzheimer's her needs will increase and it is important to have a back up plan in case their is a crisis and you can not meet her needs. She will also gain access to other services which would benefit her. The rate for Direct payments I think is around £8.50.

mountainofdebt

Errata wrote: »

1. Ask the family to specify exactly what they expect you to do
2. It's the family's responsibility to tell you how much they are prepared to pay you
3. It's your decision to accept what they offer or ask for more
4. The family will be your employer, what happens about tax/NI, insurance etc etc etc
5. Do you understand the difference between a little mild eccentricty and developed, and developing, Alzheimer's disease?
6. Will they expect you to call an ambulance first and them second when YOU judge one is needed?
7. If you judge the lady is safe and comfortable and the house secure each time you leave, what happens if you're judgment is wrong?
Just a few things for you to think about before you have a discussion with the family.
Personally I wouldn't touch this with a bargepole if the family's intention is that it's a very informal but paid arrangement.

Also what happens if you want a night out/are ill/ on holiday

piglet25

If they contact their local council then she will proberly be entitled to a six week assessment free of charge which will identify the severity of her symptoms and also identify what her long term care needs will be, this is done by daily calls - up to four times a day - carried out by people trained to assess dementia and provide help to her should she require it.
I personally would have to decline the offer as there are so many things which can go wrong. An innocent bruise can turn into an accusation, a mislaid five pound note can give you a criminal record. It really isn't worth it and if they don't wish to go through the council then there are more agencies than you can shake a stick at that will happily oblige.

Spendless

I saw this type of job advertised privately today. It was £8.60 per hour.

Tiddlywinks

Insurance!!!

What if she falls whilst you're there?

Blames you for burns or injuries?

Accuses you of theft?

What if she needs help with the loo? Will you help? Could you bring yourself not to help? If she hits you whilst you're helping because she thinks you're attacking her?

Dementia is very unpredictable... Could you cope, really cope? Only you can answer that.

daviecol

I agree with others that show concern therefore I would set boundaries before you start.
Personally I would make it clear that at a maximum you can only call in for an hour 3 times a week to make sure she's ok. If she isn't ok then your job is to ring her family for them to come and sort out whatever is wrong.
In other words don't get too involved, really the family should be making efforts to move her closer to them while shes still not too bad. To me that's just common sense.

Lunar_Eclipse

I would say £10/hour, with a minimum charge per visit of £10.

Whilst I agree with the concerns others have raised, I think they're an extremely sad sign of the times and I would hope they wouldn't put me off helping this family out. Perhaps the family concerned could investigate and pay for some insurance? It shows commitment and seems to be a logical thing to do.