Home Instead (Oxford)

I do wonder if the invoice could be sent by email instead of posted, and the monthly newsletter, which seems to get longer and more colourful every month, could be dispensed with, or emailed. And the savings that could be made by this could be passed on to the clients?

All the carers are very committed and actively look for jobs that need doing of whatever type. They are prompt, thorough and kind. I was particuarly impressed by Faye, who took notes during my recent appointment at the hospital and Debbie, who fixed the internet, and Malcom, who set up the key case.

Thank you

HomeInstead excels in every area: professionalism, genuine care & concern, regular time-keeping, keeping family informed, managing crises, meeting family expectations and requirements. I trust them completely to look after my mother well.

Because I am rather immobile, I need help with cleaning the flat. Both my helpers have been very efficient, taking care to find the half=hidden messes and dusty corners. They have also been a pleasure to talk to and a source of friendly conversation. If I ask for advice on eg. cleaning products, they always tell me what they prefer; but they cheerfully use up what I happen to have provided, I look on them both as friends. Mt calls to the office have always been swiftly answered and effective solutions to any problem offered at once.

Home Instead have been providing care to my Mum for over a year now, doing daily visits to help her remain independently living at home. She was initially unsure about strange people coming in but quickly they established a relaxed rapport and she looks forward to the visits now. They offer a welcome human contact with friendly chat but also make sure that she is clean, tidy and well fed, and will alert family if there is anything that concerns them. Admin staff are very helpful too, adapting to requests quickly and making sure that we are kept informed. I highly recommend their service.

I can not speak more highly of the treatment and care my aunt got from Home Instead, Oxford. I never had any concerns for her welfare and the staff communicated easily and regularly with myself to keep me updated. I had contact with several people in the company and without exception they were professional, caring and reliable, always doing what they said they would do and working flexibly. My aunt was at ease with the care staff that visited and very much enjoyed their company. Unfortunately, as my aunt's condition deteriorated she had to go into residential care, significantly helped in the transition by the staff. I have no concerns in recommending them.

I cannot recommend this company highly enough.

My sister received reliable and compassionate care from Home Instead. Her carer was able to relate to her despite the advanced dementia. She was always treated with respect and dignity. The office staff were also excellent: helpful and reliable too.

I do not require personal care at present, but a carer visits me for one hour twice a week and changes sheets, irons and hoovers the house thoroughly.

The management contacts me by telephone if any minor changes are to take place and are sympathetic to my requirements.

I tend to have the carers week by week and I know them well. They are warm and friendly, and always show concern about my wellbeing.

In my situation I do not feel it necessary to write a more detailed account of my experience with Home Instead, but I am entirely satisfied with the care they provide.

Home Instead have provided a carer for me for the last ten years. She comes once a week for 1.75 hours, makes the house clean, changes the sheets, and does other small tasks; once every five weeks she collects my food shopping from a supermarket. During those ten years, I have had some five regular carers, all of whom have been very willing and able. When a regular carer has been ill or on holiday, Home Instead have always found a competent substitute. They have always sought to arrange the time at which the carer comes to suit me.

Care is expensive for the client obviously, but I guess that's how much care costs!

I rely on Home Instead as my eyes and ears as I can't get to actually see my sister in law as often as I'd like. They are hugely responsive and often step in at short notice to do extra or longer stints. I couldn't do this without them.

My life has been made fully enjoyable. A full life enjoying old hobbies and sensible conversation.

I have been with home instead for three plus years and have found that on the whole, they have always given really good service. There have been 3 occasions on which I have asked for a different carer, this has always been dealt with promptly and the outcome is very good. I can recommend them without any hesitation to new clients. They try and match the clients and carer up as much as they can. If you have any problem they will ring into the office and advise and get it sorted very quickly. I really am very satisfied with their overall care.

Very supportive and friendly staff, both in the office and in person whilst assisting with home care, for which I am most grateful. Always flexible, prioritising the needs of my mother and her comfort, as she in turn supports my father. The focus on providing consistency for my parents, with a familiar carer in attendance as regularly as possible and few substitutions, has greatly helped with initiating the care our family requires. Thank you all.

I find the staff good-humoured and helpful at all times. I find all involved to be understanding and thoughtful towards older people which to my mind goes a long way.

Home Instead has looked after my husband who has a degenerative condition which destroys nerve cells in the brain. It has a broad impact on a person's functional abilities and usually results in movement, thinking (cognitive) and psychiatric disorders. Fundamentally for us it is like having a 13 stone 18 month old at home but they have treated him kindly, with dignity and taken great care of him when he could not care for himself. They have listened to everything I have asked of them and then carried it out. Thank you all.

We chose Home Instead as my father wants to stay in his home whilst coping with the onset of dementia. As a family, we believe that this is preferable to going into a home and Home Instead have the expertise and experience to make this work. It's a big decision, taken in the belief that this will give him the best situation moving forward and it constantly evolves and creates challenges for all of us. Home Instead have responded fantastically to Dad's changing needs and nothing is too difficult to do to help him. The carers are exceptionally focused and committed and the management are truly standing by our side and helping us through the process. We know we couldn't do it without them and we thank them sincerely.

The carers were very good, very professional and caring with my mother, who has Dementia and I have nothing but praise for them. Unfortunately, the management and administration was very disappointing. I emphasised that my mother has Dementia and needed a consistent carer. I understand that this is not always possible, but the management staff did not appear to understand this on a practical level, eg my mother's usual carer gave in her notice, I was sent an email by Home Instead telling me this. I emailed back saying I was not happy with the staff turnover but received no reply. I pursued this and eventually heard back, but was left wondering why the email had not been shared amongst staff, as one would normally expect in a team and in a professional setting? The chief concern in the email reply seemed to be that I had to give 4 weeks notice, not any interest in why I was unhappy about the service. Communication is very important.