Please reach us at OldFriends.Northants@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
- Carers (we can introduce to you trusted carers). Note: we are NOT healthcare providers and not medical professionals!) We aim to arrange:
TECHNICAL HELP
- Help with computers, mobile phones, internet
ADMIN HELP
- Letters, bills, phone calls
- Handling various accounts
HOME HELP
Carers (we can help to find and introduce trusted carers).
- Non-personal care
- Welfare checks / family updates
- Companionship and social visits
- Housework and laundry
- Ironing
- Shopping and meal prep
HELP WITH TRANSPORTATION
- Transport to appointments
- Shopping trip
HELP WITH PETS
- Pet care (while you are away, going to the vets, and so on)
HANDYMAN AND TRADES
- Tradesman vetting and arranging (plumber/electrician/carpenter/cleaner/dogwalker)
- Garden and landscaping help
a) First contact us and tell us what your problem is.
b) Leave it with us! We will arrange everything in the background and call you back shortly with what we think is the best solution.
c) Whenever we can, we give you a price and explain the best plan of action.
d) If you like what you hear, we introduce you who we think is the best to do the required work, and if you are happy with their offer, they will go ahead.
e) When the job is completed and everyone is happy, the contractor who did the work will also add our admin fee on the invoice. We ask you to kindly pay the pre-agreed price for our services.
Our pricing is transparent and we aim to keep everyone happy. We truly hope that you will find our prices excellent value for the service we provide! Our agent's fee is as below:
WORK VALUE OUR FEE
£0 - 99 £10 (flat fee for finding the right provider and to attend to quote/work)
£100 - £999 10%
£1,000 - £4,999 8%
£5,000 - £9,999 6%
£10,000+ 4%
Our admin fee will be added to the invoice you receive from our partner who completes the work, usually titled as "cost of sale" or "agent's fee". --- (e.g. if a carpenter we introduced charged £1,500 for his work, he will add 8% on the invoice representing our fees, so the total payable will be £1,620).
For regular contract or ongoing work we charge 10% on every invoice. (e.g. if the carer who we introduced to you and we help to administer, invoices £600 for a week's work, there will be another £60 added as our costs on the invoice).
Absolutely! We are aware that problems often occur when you least expect them. We are doing our best to have people in our team who can respond at any time to various challenges. (Thankfully life is not always such a drama! But sometimes it is.) - Just call, we will see what we can do!
We are in contact with independent care providers, who we personally know and trust. But please note, OLD FRIENDS is NOT a CQC regulated provider, however, we can definitely help with introducing you to vetted self-employed carers.
We are a partnership of individuals and friends, who are passionate to provide good service, being aware of the special care elderly people deserve - which you can truly appreciate as help.
Some of the assistance is done by one of us , but often we involve outside helpers. We keep in touch with professionals and tradesmen, personally know and check them to make sure that our services are reliable and to a very high standard.
We fully understand how difficult and worrying it can be when you live a distance from your elderly parents or relatives. Are they eating well? Can they get to where they need to? Do they find online appointment making challenging? We can involve you every step of the way, so that you have peace of mind that your loved ones are okay.
Each life situation is different, so to discuss a specific case, please do get in touch!