Home Instead (Edinburgh)

Home Instead have been looking after my uncle for over fifteen months and on every occasion have responded to his changing needs. There are a number of carers responsible for my uncle and they work well together, recording his daily needs and difficulties. They all are sympathetic to him which is not always easy as life is difficult for him.

Without exception all the carers from Home instead are fantastic. They really care for my mum, show compassion, use their initiative, have a good sense of humour and have made a real effort to get to know mum and work out what she needs, without being in any way bossy or overbearing. I feel very confident that she is in good hands.

My dad gets care from Homeinstead twice a week. The carer takes my day to his bowling club for an afternoon and also takes him on outings to local garden centres/ cafes, all things my dad enjoyed doing when he was more able. It has given us, as my dads main carers, peace of mind that my dad is being stimulated and taken out on trips, things we cannot do as often as we would like due to working, but we know he is well looked after and happy. The carer is genuinely interested in my dad and they chat away all the time. We are delighted with the service provided.

They made it possible for her to stay in her own house for as long as possible, as long as that was where she wanted to be. Both my mother and I think of the Home Instead people as good friends, and really enjoy their visits.

Standard of care provided is excellent - tailored to individual rather than a one size fits all approach which clearly sets Home Instead above the rest - attention to detail and staff provision is excellent in my eperience

Mum is 86 and lives alone with dementia since Dad died. She has two companionship visits per week, one with a young man and the other a young woman. Mum loves them both and really enjoys the conversation and interest they show in her. I have not met either carer, so I can't answer all questions from personal experience, but mum is very happy. Mum has local council carers for her essential care but their time is very limited and we use Home Instead to provide much-needed company. They are very helpful, flexible and quick to respond to requests for help, even at short notice.

Home Instead provide the respite for Mum's full time live in carers three days a week. Mum was moving up to Edinburgh from Shrewsbury to be close to her Grandchildren, and whilst we would like to have provided respite we have a young family and both work, so would struggle with this extra responsibility.

We were particularly nervous about her transitioning after the move, but Home Instead put our minds at ease at each stage of the process, they did a fact find as to Mum's needs and were able to put in place an ideal carer that has similar interests to her. This means that she maintains her independence whilst we are not around and do not have to worry about her - she is doing extremely well and is now really happy.

My experience of this agency is that they provide caring staff to provide excellent care in a profession manner at all times. Punctual and polite. Excellent management who are very approachable.