When It Mattered Most: How Our PAs Came Together in an Emergency

When the unexpected happens, the heart of our care community really shows. This week we want to share a story of dedication that made us very proud.

A sudden emergency

We normally support a lovely couple for just a few hours a week. The wife is her husband's main carer following his stroke. Recently she had a fall, broke her hip and was admitted to hospital.

Overnight, her husband needed support three times a day, seven days a week. After a poor experience with managed care in the past, he was clear that he wanted to stay in the comfort of his own home rather than go into respite care.

Our PAs stepped in the same day

This is where our network of Personal Assistants came into its own. On the very day of the emergency, his regular PA got in touch with colleagues and arranged full cover.

A huge thank you to Paris, Etta, Leanne and Zoe (who was ready on standby) for coming together so quickly. Every visit was covered by familiar faces he already knew and trusted. He is relieved and happy to be supported by a team he considers friends.

An extra special thank you to Etta and Paris for taking the lead. You worked directly with him to make sure he was comfortable with who was visiting, arranged times that fitted his routine, and kept in close contact with the hospital so he was always updated on his wife's condition.

What the PA model meant for him

This story shows why so many families choose self-employed Personal Assistants through Calibre Quality Care:

• The same familiar faces. No strangers at the door during a stressful time. Every visit came from PAs he already knew and trusted.
• Support directed by him. He chose who visited and when, and his care was built around his routine, not a rota.
• Staying at home. He avoided respite care, which he did not want, and stayed safely in his own home.
• Quick, flexible cover. Because our PAs work as a connected network, they could increase his support from a few hours a week to three visits a day straight away.
• Communication he could rely on. His PAs kept him updated about his wife, easing a worrying time for him.
• Better value, with more going to the PA. Clients who engage a self-employed PA often pay a lower hourly rate than with a traditional agency, and more of that rate goes directly to the PA providing the care rather than to agency overheads.

Proud of our team

This is what Calibre Quality Care is all about: independent, compassionate, person-centred support that keeps people safe at home when they need it most.

To Paris, Etta, Leanne and Zoe, thank you. We are incredibly proud of you all.

If you or a loved one would like to find out how a Personal Assistant could help, please get in touch.