Home Instead (South East Northumberland)

In summary, Home Instead has gone well beyond what I expected. I recommend them without hesitation.

Communication within the whole team, myself and Mum, is exceptional.

Home Instead have been providing care for my dad over the last three or so years. He has Alzheimer's and would not be able to live at home without their twice-daily visits. The caregivers help him eat a healthy and balanced diet (increasingly important after a recent diabetes type two diagnosis), maintain a safe and comfortable living situation, and perhaps most valuably provide friendly conversation and company. My brothers and I are confident that Home Instead's team give Dad good quality care, treating him with respect and dignity.

I cant praise Home Instead carers enough. I was anxious about my mother coming to live with me and how her needs would be met due to her immobility and the amount of care she would require, however from the first day having two carers four times a day I have found the carers so friendly and caring, showing so much empathy towards my mam. They always respect her dignity and give her the time she needs to ensure her comfort and well being. My mam can be quite demanding with how she likes things done but her demands have always been met with tolerance and smiles which certainly improves her moods. The carers always turn up on time and never leave early always finding something to do with mam. They have not only been there for my mam but also there for me giving me support and reassurance when I need it. Thank you all so much. Anyone looking for home care can certainly be reassured that Home instead will meet your needs.

I feel that since my visits started. I've grown in confidence and independence. I really enjoy being with my carers and all the chats we have. They are all very professional and I look forward to my visit every day.

Home Instead provided outstanding care for my father-in-law enabling him to live in his own home for the last three years of his life until the age of 99. The carers who looked after him were incredibly thoughtful and sensitive to his personality and needs. The office staff and management of the company are equally kind and efficient: the communication with us over any concerns or changes in carers was always empathetic and effective. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Home Instead Northumberland. The quality and consistency of care was beyond our expectations and in three years of service provision we had no cause for complaint or concern. Perhaps the highest recommendation comes from the mouth of my father-in-law himself who said that the carers were “his friends” and “like family”. This has to be credited to the management of the company in both their recruitment practices and their skill in matching carers to clients. Our experience was a model of how good care should be provided.

Would absolutely recommend it.

I was so pleased that my parents were able to spend 2 extra years with Home Instead before going into residential care. The staff were professional and caring and helped my mother and father cope with progressive dementia. Care workers cooked meals and cleaned, but were extremely sensitive and always made my mother feel like she was involved (the kitchen had been her domain for 70 years, but dementia meant that she really struggled without support). The office always contacted me immediately if there was a concern, accident or problem, and the care my parents received helped me and the family have peace of mind. That they were able to do this in the face of a pandemic was amazing and they took every care to keep high standards of PPE. The online portal to access daily reports was a particularly useful innovation that allowed me to see how they were doing if I was away. The team not only provided practical support but companionship and friendship that was much appreciated. Thank you!

Not all heroes wear capes, as they say!

Huge thanks to all of your team.

The manager and her team were professional, respectful and allowed me to be a daughter and not just a carer. Their humanity and empathy towards my mother was uplifting. While providing full personal care the team were interested in my mother and her memories, they chatted easily with the whole family and sang along with my mother who loved the old fashioned musicals. The team were skilled in moving my wheelchair bound mother and their cooking skills were excellent. They did not intrude on family life but showed our home and us true respect. I cannot thank the manager and her team enough.

I am very happy that we chose Home Instead to provide the care needed by my husband. They have given us peace of mind and the exact help that we need.

A lot of initial thought and time was spent by the company matching my mother to her caregivers. This has proven to be very worthwhile - especially as nobody could foresee the advent and subsequent impact of the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. Lockdown had the potential to be a very lonely time for my mother. With due care and diligence the caregivers have mitigated this as much as possible. The caregivers are very reliable and punctual; they do their very best to engage with my mother in a very positive and warm manner whilst also attending to any tasks she would like to be carried out. They have also done their very best to enable my mother to maintain links and communication with my sister who lives some distance away and therefore has had no personal contact with our mother over the past year.

A fantastic service with my parents needs always at the forefront of the care provided. Having had a previous bad experience with a different care provider, Home Instead was like a breath of fresh air and met all our needs and expectations to provide a professional tailored service enabling both parents needs to be taken into account with regards to dementia and mobility issues. Always helpful and quick to assist in any queries with exceptional communication skills. We as a family can not recommend enough that Home Instead Northumberland is a 5-star care provider.

Thank you so much to the Home Instead team for all of the support you have given my family, especially during this difficult and uncertain time.

My father-in-law has MND and is looked after at home on the family farm by myself, my sister-in-law and his wife. It was going to be really hard introducing a care company to help us because it can be quite an intrusive thing having strangers coming into your home. Home Instead were slowly introduced and have made the process so easy, both he and my mother-in-law love their visits, they are very attentive, extremely professional, but blend into the family situation so well. We couldn't have chosen better, everyone is very happy, such a relief to have them.

We have a team of 3-4, two of whom come on a regular basis (both male) and two females who are intermittent. Both male carers are extremely caring and sympathetic and the females are cheerful and competent. We are kept up to date with any new issues and I feel confident that Home Instead Senior Care (South East Northumberland) are looking after us in every way, extremely well.

Further, we have found all the relevant information shared by the agency about maintaining safety during the pandemic really useful.

I contacted Home Instead on a recommendation of a friend as my elderly mother had a fall literally days before I was due to go on holiday and I felt unhappy leaving her on her own. They stepped in straight away, got caregivers in place and kept me updated about Mum while I was away, allowing me to enjoy my holiday. We made a decision to continue the care when I returned and all the staff have been amazing. Mum and I are offered regular meetings to discuss her care and to update her care plan as appropriate. I cannot praise their caregivers enough, we have the same team of girls all the time so Mum knows them and more importantly they know her. They are all very professional and totally trustworthy. Mum enjoys their company and they care for her wonderfully. We have had a few occasions when Mum has been taken ill, and they have taken charge, doing what was necessary to care for Mum but also reassuring me and keeping me calm. They are a pleasure to work with.

Home Instead provided valuable call in care for my mother reflecting her wishes to remain in her own home for as long as possible. The staff were kind and courteous, ofter going above and beyond to help to look after my mother. There were often calls from the office informing me of any issues or just updates and even menu suggestions my mother had suggested. I was always asked in advance if it was acceptable if there was a (slight) change of visiting times. Although my mother had dementia, the manager and her team built up a supportive and compassionate relationship and encouraged her to do her best - I would recommend Home Instead.