Mother’s Day Series: Interview with ALHomecare’s Manager, Tom Quinlan
Tom Quinlan
Manager - Affordable Live-in Homecare (ALH) Email: manager@alhomecare.ie
1. Why did you set-up a live-in care agency?
I set up ALHomecare because I wanted to give families another option. Nursing home care and visiting care are the only two options that most people know about. Live-in care is another option that has a lot to offer, not only to the client and their family but also to the carer. The client receives consistent, reliable care from the same carer on an ongoing basis. The carer has a nice job taking care of just one or two people. It is a win win solution in elderly care.
2. What obstacles did you face when you were looking into homecare solutions for your Mother and how did you overcome them?
We didn't want our mom going into a nursing home because we didn't want to seperate our parents. We considered the visiting care option. I contacted a few different private visiting care agencies but they were incredibly expensive. We just couldn't afford to do that on an ongoing basis.
3. What benefits did you and your family experience by hiring a live-in carer?
A lovely lady called Lena came and lived with us. She took excellent care of my mother for more than 6 months until my mother passed away in April 2014. I was so glad and proud that we managed to keep our parents together right up to the end. She was there for my mother and my mother alone and we will always be grateful to Lena for that.
4. What advice would you give a family who are looking into homecare solutions?
Explore all your options and do what you are comfortable with. Nursing home care and visiting care are just 2 options. Live-in care is another really good option that every family should also consider before making their decision.
5. What advice would you give a family who have just hired a live-in carer?
Take time at the start to put your relative at ease about the idea of having a live in carer. Then explain clearly to the carer what you want her to do. Keep in regular contact with your relative's carer throughout the placement to check that they are getting on well in their role.
6. What makes ALHomecare's live-in care service different from other homecare solutions?
We enable a direct relationship between the carer and the family and we support that relationship throughout the placement to make sure it is successful.
This results in a fair and equitable home care solution that everyone really benefits from. Most agencies charge the families very high fees but then the carer is paid less than half what the family pays the agency. ALHomecare ensures that the family pays the carer directly for her work....resulting in a happier carer, happier client and happier family.
Win-win for everyone!