South Mayo home carers have a ‘direct’ approach to clients
By Tom Gillespie
FRUSTRATED with unreliable agency work, two south Mayo home care workers were about to quit the profession when a chance meeting changed their professional lives.
Anne Vahey from Hollymount and Angela Conway from Roundfort are now self-employed and are earning treble what they were getting from agency work.
The pair signed up with the Dublin-based Home Care Direct and all their clients are now within the Ballinrobe area.
Anne explained how the partnership came about: “I started with Home Care Direct eight months ago. I had been working with different various agencies for a number of years but the hours were unreliable, loads of work one day and none the next.
“If you had a problem with your clients it went straight over to our managers. It lacked a lot of communication. It was hard work.
“I was with an agency when I was on a double-up call in Ballinrobe one morning.
“I had never met Angela Conway before. She was the second person going into this house.
“We got on well. We were in there every morning doing what we had to do.
“One day Angela said to me that she was after getting a job with Home Care Direct. But she said it was a live-in care job and it was too much for three days and three nights and she asked would I be interested in splitting it with her.”
Anne continued: “I signed up to Home Care Direct and we started our live-in care and since that we have had HSE clients as well as private clients. We are flying with them.
“Home Care Direct contacts us directly from Dublin. They get contacted by the home support office in Ballinrobe and they send out the packages that are available and we pick them up. The bonus is all our clients are in the Ballinrobe area.
“We work directly with the family. We become part of the family. We work directly with a multi-disciplinary team - the occupational therapist, the nurses, doctors, nursing homes. We are constantly in direct contact with these people.
“I had previously worked in child care for years and again the money was so, so low. I was giving my wages back to have my own kids minded and I had nothing at the end of the week.
“Now for the first time ever I can honestly say that I have a decent wage.”
Angela added: “I too was frustrated with the agency work. It was €11 an hour with no options for improvement. There was no guarantee of work from week to week.
“The agency would move my hours around to suit their rosters or other carers. You could never be sure of what you were going to earn in a week.
“For half an hour's work I was travelling 13 miles to my client's house and 13 miles back for €7.
“We have completely cut out the agency work. We are self-employed. Home Care Direct do our taxes, PRSI and set up the contract forms. They insure us to go into the houses. The back-up from Home Care Direct is second to none. It is like we are a whole family.”
Anne continued: “If you have a problem you just pick up the phone and there is always somebody there to help.
“Angela and I did not know each other. Now we work out of our cars. But we make a point of meeting up once to twice a week. We discuss any problems. If one of us is off sick we cover for each other. We have a great working relationship.”
“Before we take on a new client we always make a point of meeting the families. We talk to the clients so they know who we are. We both always go together so that the client knows both of us.
“It is just fantastic. I get up in the morning and I look forward to going to work. I am my own boss.
“I know the houses I am going into as well as the clients.
“They love to see us coming and were have great craic. Some of them are lonely and they love the bit of craic.
“I feel like I am self-employed but I don’t have to worry about the book work.”
Anne and Angela are always looking for new clients. Families can contact Home Care Direct, the details of which are below.
All the clients that they had with various agencies have come over to them as families did not want to lose them.
Anne confessed: “That was the one big thing we were afraid of, that we would lose them. But as things turned out it has worked out better for us. They contacted Home Care Direct and requested us.”
Angela said the families get to choose the carer. It is not like there is a different carer coming in who could be a stranger.
Ken Waters of Home Care Direct, Dublin, said: “Both women were ready to leave the profession before finding out about the Home Care Direct App and are now enjoying the benefits and freedom of working for themselves.
“Home Care Direct removes the middle man of an agency and lets the carer agree their own rates with families. This is a win win as the carer gets approximately double the fee and it is still cheaper than paying for an agency for the families.
“They also get to choose their own availability, choose the clients that they work with, and they provide continuity of care for the patient. Agency carers are frequently moved from patient to patient at short notice and over long distances.
“Also, together they have set up a ‘buddy group’ with some other carers in the area who use the App to cover each other for holidays and sick days.”
Home Care Direct are located at 23 Priory Office Park, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, and can be contacted on (01) 4852221 or visit www.homecaredirect.ie.