Blog
Who are WE?
Tuesday 23rd November 2021
Who is Your Care?
We are a family run introduction agency based in South Glos. We have been operating for almost 8 years now and have many happy clients and personal assistants. Your Care was established back in 2014 by Tina Westlake who was frustrated with the outdated care system decided to set up a business to offer a bespoke support service to people who wanted flexible, reliable care provided by people who like her would look after them as if they were a family member and most importantly visits would be provided by the SAME carers each time, ensuring continuity of care.
Our mission was (and still is) to make requiring care and support as stress free as possible by establishing a register of highly skilled and motivated individuals who genuinely enjoyed their role and who would go that extra mile in supporting their clients, who would take the time to listen to their needs and preferences and follow their guidance, who took pride in the level of service they provided.
We have achieved this and are proud to be different.
How are you different to a care agency?
WE provide a bespoke service matching private personal assistants to clients who are looking to be in control of how their care is delivered, by whom and at what time of the day, as an alternative to a traditional care agency. There is no formal care plan, the client directs the care and is in total control.
WE like to get to know our clients and their families, to gain useful information about their likes and dislikes, past life history and most importantly about the support they require and how they would like this to be delivered. We believe it's these little details that enable us to match our personal assistants to each client, after all there is so much more to being a carer than completing tasks.
We personally introduce our personal assistants to each client and let them get to know each other a little before any support takes place. We are always on hand to offer support and guidance to both parties to ensure the smooth running of the service.
As all of our personal assistants are self-employed, they decide the days and times they are available to work along with choosing the clients they wish to support, we find this makes for a much happier workforce. You can rest assured we provide a rigorous interview and vetting service, with ongoing yearly checks to ensure our high standards are met. Every one of our personal assistants is highly skilled and undergoes yearly training to ensure their knowledge is kept up to date and compliant with industry standards.
How are you different to an online platform?
Matching personal assistants with clients is a little like finding that perfect person you want to spend the rest of your life with... there are a lot of considerations to factor in and often the candidates that on paper fit the bill will not match in other ways. People tend to be professional at interviews and will say all the honey words, that's why we feel it's so important to only work with local people that we can get to know personally, how else would we get to know them warts and all?
We receive many CVs daily but only a few make it through our vigorous interviews (we have multiple, as we need to establish our personal assistants mirror our values when looking after our clients) and we don't feel you can establish that over the telephone or online. Applicants then complete the vetting stage before being personally introduced to any potential clients.
WE know how intimidating it can be meeting someone new that's why we are personally involved in every introduction and offer ongoing guidance to both our clients and our personal assistants. Its these little details that make a huge difference and make our service invaluable to both clients and personal assistants.
What is the difference between a carer and a personal assistant?
A carer is usually employed by a care agency and receives direction from the care agency on the support required, following a care plan. They usually visit many clients in one day and may not revisit those clients again... ever!
Personal assistants or PAs as they are known, are directed by the client or their family, this allows for each client to be treated as the individual they are and for support to be flexible to ensure the best possible outcomes for your loved one.
Our PAs are self-employed, they decide the times and days they work but also most importantly the clients they work with, so you can rest assured they really want to be there. PAs work with the same small group of clients each week, so they really get to know them and their routine, plus they can quickly establish when your loved one doesn't appear to be themselves which is invaluable when they have dementia and can't often explain.
Our PAs do not wear a uniform as we feel this draws attention to the fact your loved one requires care, instead we want them to feel they are having support from a long term friend.
What is a personal assistant and why are they self-employed?
Personal assistants are just that - someone who personally assists your loved one with whatever task they require help with. Personal assistants offer a far more flexible service compared to that of a traditional care agency as they are directed by the client who requires support rather than a manager from the care agency.
From experience clients find employing personal assistants to be quite a hassle (payroll, finding holiday/sickness cover, pensions and so on..), whereas with self-employed personal assistants provided through Your Care they get the same quality service without the stress that employment brings.
What happens if I don't like my personal assistant?
Whilst we go to great lengths to match you with the perfect personal assistant, should you not get on we will introduce you to other personal assistants from our register. We want both our clients and our personal assistants to be happy.
What services can a personal assistant provide?
Personal assistants provide a wide range of services, from meal planning to shopping, personal care such as having a bath to accompanying your loved one to the hairdressers, socialising to maintaining their home. Whatever support is required our personal assistants can help and because each visit is directed by the client or their family, nothing is set in stone, so the support is totally flexible to provide the best possible outcomes for your loved one.
Can personal assistants support people with more complex needs such as those with Dementia?
Yes of course. All our personal assistants are highly skilled care professionals who take great pride in the level of service they provide. Each one undergoes our yearly in-house training to ensure their skills are kept up to date with industry standards along with having ongoing access to specialised training to expand their skill set.
Our PAs support many clients with various conditions, and we encourage them to share tips and offer peer support to each other in order that our clients receive the best possible care and support. After all every person is unique and a one size approach to caring cannot be applied. Our personal assistants are very good at adapting to situations and finding solutions to issues that families may be finding a little more challenging and willingly share their knowledge to help support them and their loved ones.
Why do you only do 2 hour visits?
From experience of running our business for well almost 8 years we have seen the immense difference our personal assistants have been able to make to the lives of not just their clients but also to the families involved. We don't believe support should be purely task focused, instead we believe in allowing time for the support to be delivered with dignity, respect and to include companionship. We take the pressure off the family so they can spend quality time with their loved ones.
Looking for support for yourself or a loved one? Call a member of the team now on 0117 9477422 for your FREE consultation.