Care at home across Portland
Staying at home, with the right amount of help.
Most families start looking when something has changed and they are not sure what is needed yet. A conversation costs nothing, and it usually makes the next step obvious.
Support
Three kinds of help, and you can start with any of them
Most families begin with less than they expect to need. It is easier to add hours than to unpick a plan that was too much from day one.
Companionship and daily help
A few hours at a time — meals, errands, appointments, company.
The same carer wherever possible, on a schedule that stays the same week to week. Shopping, cooking, laundry, a lift to an appointment, and someone to talk to. For a lot of families this is all that is needed for a long time.
Best when someone is managing, but managing alone.
Personal care
Help with washing, dressing, and moving around safely.
Hands-on support with the parts of the day that have become difficult, delivered by carers trained for it. What is and is not included is written into the care plan before anyone starts, so there are no surprises in either direction.
Best when the difficulty is physical rather than practical.
Respite and overnight
Cover so the family carer can stop for a while.
A regular afternoon, a week away, or overnight cover so someone can sleep. Family carers hold most of this work in this country, and the ones who last are the ones who get breaks.
Best when the person doing the caring is running out.
How it works
Four steps, starting with a phone call
Nothing is charged for the call or the visit, and nothing starts until the plan and the price are in writing.
A phone call
Fifteen minutes. What has changed, what the days look like now, and what is worrying you most. No cost, and no obligation to go further.
A visit
We come to the house and talk to the person who would be receiving care, not only about them. We look at how the home is set up and what is realistic.
A written plan
What happens, when, who does it, and what it costs — in writing, before anything starts. You keep a copy and so does the carer.
Start, then review
We check in after the first fortnight, then regularly. Needs change, and a plan that never changes stops matching the person fairly quickly.
About
The help that lets someone stay put
Almost nobody wants to leave their own home. The decision usually gets made anyway, not because the care was impossible, but because the right support did not arrive early enough and a crisis made the choice instead.
The work here starts earlier than that. Often it begins with a few hours a week — shopping, a lift, a proper meal, someone noticing — and grows only as it needs to. When more is genuinely needed we say so, and when it is not, we say that too.
FAQ
Questions families ask first
What does it cost?
Rates depend on how much support is needed and when. We give you a written figure after the home visit, before anything starts, so you can compare it against anything else you are considering. There is no charge for the call or the visit.
Who would actually be coming to the house?
A carer we have interviewed, checked and trained, matched to the person rather than to the shift. We aim to keep it the same person or a small named group — continuity matters more to most families than anything else on this page, and we would rather tell you honestly when a regular carer is away than send a stranger unannounced.
Is this nursing or medical care?
No. This is practical and personal support at home. Anything clinical belongs with a district nurse, a GP or a hospital team, and we will say so plainly rather than stretch what we do. We work alongside those services regularly.
What if the amount of help needs to change?
It usually does, in both directions. The plan is reviewed on a schedule and can be changed between reviews. Ask about notice periods on the call — you should know how quickly you can reduce or stop before you commit to starting.
How quickly can support start?
It depends on the hours needed and where you are. Tell us on the call what the timescale is; if we cannot cover it properly we will say so at that point rather than after you have waited.
Start with a conversation
No cost, no obligation, and no need to have worked out what you need first. Most calls end with a clearer idea of the options, whether or not we are one of them.
Prefer to write? Use the form. Either reaches the same person.
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