Birch House Care offers personal assistant services in your home (2-hour weekly minimum)
Birch House, where care is intuitive as breathing...
Why Choose Birch House Care?
Your neighbours believe in us...
"I could not ask for a better carer, she understands me, and we get on like a 'house on fire'. Annette treats me like family."
GB, Swainsthorpe
"Birch House Care provides a wonderful service. Annette is warm and kind whilst providing the help we need. She keeps us up to date, is flexible and easy to contact where needed."
EC, Mulbarton
“Annette is absolutely marvellous. If she sees something that needs doing, she will do it even without being asked. She thinks of everything. I don’t know what I’d do without her."
DP, Swardeston
"Before my stroke, I was a very active person. It has taken some time, but with the help of Annette, I am more active."
MF, Long Stratton
We aim to provide...
Quality care where you live, allowing you to stay in your own home for longer; perhaps prevent, or delay, a move into a care home.
Peace of mind for you and your family; that someone is calling in regularly and you aren’t alone.
Costs will often be less than moving into a care home, however, this depends on the amount of care needed.
We care about the environment and use sustainable methods whenever possible.
For PERSONAL ASSISTANT Services, Birch House Care charges the same amount every day; whether it is a Monday (weekday), a Sunday (weekend), or a Bank holiday*, the same cost.
*Excluding Christmas, Boxing, and New Year's day.
In your home - with your ingredients
We’ll cook fresh, delicious and healthy meals for you in your kitchen, using the ingredients you're familier with. If your preference is a sandwich, vegetarian, vegan, sugar free, gluten free, we're more than happy to accommodate any dietary requirements/preferences.
There are few things more rewarding for us than to know that you are enjoying a tasty and nutritious meal, which we prepared.
We happily do all the hard work, so you can simply savour the flavour.
You buy - we'll fly
We'd be happy to take you shopping, do the shopping for you, at any facility you prefer. If your preference is to shop online, we can assist you in setting up an online shopping order and arrange to pop in after it arrives.
Whatever your preference we're happy to assist.
Perhaps you have an event; party, wedding, church or would simply like to attend a museum and would like some assistance, maybe you'd like to get out for a coffee. Let us know what you're thinking and we'll see how we can assist you in making your dreams reality.
Safety and Wellbeing Checks
If you are an adult with complex disabilities or cognitive difficulties, we can often provide short visits to ensure your safety and wellbeing, also safeguarding your independence. After all, safeguarding is also about you being independent and making your own choices.
Domestic Tasks
Cleaning
Dog Walking
Dusting
Vacuuming
Washing and ironing
If you just need a little extra help, let us know what we can do to make your life a bit more comfortable.
Personal Assistance
A personal assistant for care (PA) is someone who is employed to provide personal and domestic everyday support needed to help people to lead an independent personal and social life at home.
These are just some of the services we are able to provide.
We help to keep your home clean and tidy, changing bedding, ironing, and dealing with laundry.
Help with shopping, picking up prescriptions, making telephone calls, and dealing with post.
Company to chat or share pastimes and hobbies
A sitting service to carers or family who would like a few hours of free time.
Support to attend local activities and events.
Help with your personal paperwork and bills.
Care and support for people with Dementia / Memory Loss.
Walking befriender
Care In your home - where you're most comfortable
Applying lotions and creams as required
Dressing and getting ready for bed
Oral hygiene
Support with shaving
Helping you to the toilet, including using a commode or bed pan
Changing continence pads
Medication prompting
Support moving position in bed, to stretch and prevent pressure sores
Bathing and showering
Foot care (not podiatry or nail cutting)
Medication administration
Changing continence pads, along with cleaning intimate areas
Happy Birthday you cheeky little monkey
We’re here for the entire family
We believe
- We operate with the ethos, that your wellbeing is our primary focus.
- Our objective and purpose are providing exceptional care for those who are in need.
- At the same time allowing individuals to gain independence and make their own decisions.
- We emphasise well-being in work, fostering long-term relationships and support them to support themselves.
- We’re tackling gender discrimination and feel inclusion is vital by encouraging our contacts to be open to the possibility of diversity within our business.
- We also feel strongly about our imprint on this earth, and do what we can to integrate environmental impact actions.
Quality Assurance
Birch House Care, Ltd. is committed to ensuring that services meet our user’s needs.
Our Quality Assurance starts with the recruitment of the best people possible and continues with systematic and ongoing monitoring of their performance. Delivering a consistently high-quality service is our priority.
We also remain in contact with service users and families, ensuring ongoing online satisfaction surveys, telephone conversations, and face-to-face encounters; guaranteeing to obtain service users' views and opinions.
The service will be audited and evaluated against the National Minimum Standards, and against our service outcomes.
The address and contact details of Birch House Care, Ltd. are as follows:
Birch House, Main Road, Swardeston, Norwich, Norfolk, NR14 8DN
Telephone: 01508 505070
E-mail:
birchhousecare@outlook.com
How much will my care cost?
Without meeting and completing an assessment of your needs, it is not possible to provide you with an accurate reflection of the costs involved with care. The reason is that you will require the amount of care that is right for you. We treat each and every person as an individual and consider your desires as well as your needs when planning care. Below are a few examples of what you might expect, should you choose Birch House Care, Ltd.
We would be happy to arrange a complimentary assessment at your earliest convenience.
Birch House Care charges the same amount every day; whether it is a Monday (weekday), a Sunday (weekend), or a Bank holiday*, the same cost.
*Excluding Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.
HOW WE CAN HELP
We specialise in providing expert personal assistant services to meet your needs. We can offer hourly visits or blocks of time.
Your support plan will be designed specifically for you.
15 Minutes
Should you like someone to ensure (prompt) your medications are being taken. A meds check, for example, can usually be achieved in 15 minutes (this does depend on quantity and ability).
30 Minutes
Should you prefer a welfare check, for example, this can usually be achieved in 30 minutes (this does depend on what you require).
45 Minutes
If your needs are more in the realm of a well-balanced meal, for example, lunch can usually be achieved in 45 minutes (this does depend on what you desire and includes tidying up).
60 Minutes
Most shopping or personal needs can be achieved within 60 minutes, Some personal services may require a little longer, particularly if your mobility is compromised (this is to ensure your safety).
Scheduling a block of time
On occasion you may want a bit more time, some examples may be;
- Dental/Hospital escort.
- Event/Personal Appointment escort.
- Home from the hospital.
- Organising (lifting/within manual handling guidance).
- Overnights.
- Personal assistance.
Meal Preparation
Home cooked, in your kitchen, with your ingredients
Personal Assistant Services
In your home where you're most comfortable
Shopping Support
We can drive you or simply shop on your behalf
Contact us 24/7/365
01508 50 50 70 Email UsOffice Hours
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri
- -
- Thursday
- -
- Sat - Sun
- Closed
Address
Care Hours
- Mon - Sun
- - -
Out of Hours (Emergencies)
- Sun - Sat
- Open 24 hours
What's your story...?
Contact Us
Annette's Story
Before moving to the United Kingdom in 2008, I had been in banking. I thought this was always what I wanted to be, a banker, my briefcase, suit, feeling of importance... As I look back now at my career/life journey, I see it more clearly that everything has led me here. My early years have provided me with a sound business mind, my UK years have provided me with the knowledge required to work in this industry within the UK, and my personal life has provided me with a compassion one can only achieve through adversity and maturity.
Banking has provided a foundation for business sense. I began my career as a bank teller and after working my way up the corporate ladder, becoming the equivalent of an Associate Director in the UK, 3rd inline from the throne (potentially, so to speak). Before relocating to the UK I had overseen large budgets, staff in multi-locations, and had many philanthropic interests. Some of these were;
Memorial Blood Centres – One in three people will need blood. You never know when you or someone you love might be the one. Give the gift of life!
March of Dimes is dedicated to improving the health of babies by the prevention of birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Women Achieving New Directions, is a non-profit organisation empowering low-income single women to achieve greater personal social, and economic success for themselves. My greatest acknowledgment since becoming a WAND mentor was being recognised as the "2008 Mentor of the Year".
Twin Cities Public Television – Working on the membership drive campaigns. TPT is much like the US’s version of the BBC, however, it is not taxpayer-funded, I assisted with minor fundraising and phone bank work.
Way Out Racing – A small racing firm in Zimmerman Minnesota. I was responsible for marketing and advertising the race team.
Zion Lutheran Church – Confirmation in the Lutheran faith is designed to encourage and strengthen a lifestyle of discipleship and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to assist parents and sponsors in fulfilling the promises made at the child’s baptism. I was a youth mentor for a group of seven young women for three years.
For the past few years, I have been working in the care industry. Since 2017 caring for Mark, then I began working in the office of a small local care company and then began caring for Shirley. Please read Mark's and Shirley's stories.
Whilst caring for Shirley I began courses with the London College of Professional Studies. On February 18th, 2022, my Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care, was registered. OTHM qualifications are approved and regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). Their programmes enable learners to demonstrate skills by producing evidence from their work activities, to meet national occupational standards. I am acquiring skills to support my role and progress to further study. On May 10th, 2022, my last assignment was graded, and have now completed the OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care Management diploma. At some point in the future, will work towards a Level 7 Diploma in Health and Social Care Management course.
Mark's Story
In 2017 Mark had a life-changing stroke and was in the hospital for more than a month. There were a great many things that needed doing before he could come home. Working with an Occupational Therapist from the Stroke Specialist Unit in Norwich, we arranged Mark's discharge. We thought we were prepared for everything…
First night home, Mark slid off the bed, and we attempted to get him up. Being in the hospital for the past month after having the stroke, he was still weak. In the end, we needed to ring the SWIFTS to help get him up. It took a while for them to arrive, as he was not in any pain… I made him as comfortable, as one does until they arrived.
This was a real adjustment period, the stroke had left Mark with left-side paralysis. Our lives changed as Mark now required assistance to wash, dress, toileting, etc. We had to buy trousers with no zips, buttons, or snaps; Shoes with Velcro. As time went on and Mark began walking. At first, he used a series of sticks to aid his movement and balance. Did you even know there was more than one kind of stick? There are several, a functional, quad, and straight stick, to name a few.
Sometimes he felt a bit more himself, in 2018 we decided to take a trip to Italy, this is Mark in Orvieto. Walking with one of his sticks. Today Mark is able to walk without a stick (although the left side does not have movement). Mark volunteers at a local air museum, drives, and even shops on his own.
Shirley's Story
It started with a fall
In retrospect, we had noticed Shirley was a little forgetful. Really normal things such as keys, and then her hearing decreased to the point of requiring hearing aids.
She then began experiencing dizziness (though she said it was nothing), until she began with a series of falls.
Her first fall was in the middle of St. Stephens street where she dislocated her shoulder.
Her second fall - was a broken wrist.
The third fall was at home where she broke her hip.
We knew that as we age, falls can happen, this of course was still concerning…
Miles leaves nothing to chance
Miles (Shirley’s son) ardently encouraged mum and NHS to investigate further and as the falls became more serious, breaking her arm/wrist, and hip replacement, the NHS took notice.
She was diagnosed with having transient ischaemic attacks (TIA’s) or "mini-stroke"; this was caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. The disruption in blood supply results in a lack of oxygen to the brain.
This can cause sudden symptoms similar to a stroke, such as speech and visual disturbance, and numbness or weakness in the face, arms, and legs. However, a TIA does not last as long as a stroke. The effects last a few minutes to a few hours and fully resolve within 24 hours.
Diagnosis Dementia
Vascular dementia is a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory, and other thought processes caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain.
Shirley developed vascular dementia after a stroke blocked an artery in her brain (strokes don't always cause vascular dementia). Whether a stroke affects your thinking and reasoning depends on your stroke's severity and location.
Vascular dementia can also result from other conditions that damage blood vessels and reduce circulation, depriving your brain of vital oxygen and nutrients.
As Shirley has become less functional, we had to visit carers, then live-in carers with visiting carers to relieve the live-in carer... As you can imagine she was becoming so very confused.
She also became ill with an infection (common in the elderly) and went into the hospital. When she was ready to be discharged, we decided to try something different.
Annette (main) and Mark (relief) became her carers. This was to provide her stability and ensure her safety. Annette was been her main carer (since September 2021).
Shirley’s care
In September, we began the day by getting up, dressing, and coming to the table for breakfast. After breakfast, we went to the lounge for some news and a snooze. Mark would arrive and Annette was off to her “day job” (working part-time for another care company).
When arriving home to check pads, ensure Shirley had been hydrating, was clean, fed, etc. Dinner is always at 7:00 PM, we’d come to the table and have a lovely meal (her favourite is lasagne). Then again we’d watch the news, have a chat, sometimes she likes to have a glass of wine or G&T. Then 10:00 PM bed-time.
Shirley has now passed (April 2022), I often think about sitting by her bedside, waiting for her to awake and be ready for a chat.
We have shared much, some quite difficult moments, others which will be with me forever.
What a privilege, a joy…
