Care-at-home specialist Home Instead pursuing recruitment drive amid soaring demand

A home care company is looking to hire 50 staff all over Edinburgh after seeing a sharp rise in demand for its services.

Home Instead explains that it helps local ageing adults to live well in their own homes, and says the start of a year sees a spark in enquiries, as when families get together over the festive season they often notice older relatives’ health and wellbeing issues, particularly if they haven’t seen them for a long time, leading them to consider care options.

Joanna Senew, owner at Home Instead in Edinburgh, said: “When we saw family over Christmas, perhaps some of us noticed that Mum doesn’t seem as mobile as she once was, or maybe Dad has become more forgetful? It’s only natural for families to look at how they can help, and very often that means getting professional care.”

'We’re looking for people to join our team from a broad range of backgrounds,' says Joanna Senew, owner at Home Instead in Edinburgh. Picture: contributed.

Home Instead has two offices in the Scottish capital, one for the eastern and the other for the western half of the city, and it looks after clients in Portobello to Cramond and in Trinity to Fairmilehead.

The company provides tailored support during visits of two hours or longer, typically comprising companionship, meal-preparation, light housekeeping, assistance with activities of daily living, medication reminders, shopping and errands for older people.

Commenting on the role of a caregiver, Ms Senew said: “We’re looking for people to join our team from a broad range of backgrounds. The key characteristic we look for is a kind heart.”

The firm’s bid to boost the ranks comes after Edinburgh care home Cramond Residence recently also announced that it was looking to expand its team – to total more than 100 – after a strong bounceback from two years of lockdowns and restrictions.

The facility, which is located in the north-west of the city, was launched in late 2018 and offers nurse-led care, as well as respite and dementia specialist services and offers small group living in nine “luxuriously-appointed” homes.

Christian Daraio, client liaison manager at Cramond Residence, said: “After an unprecedented two years for the industry, we finally have positive momentum… we’re thrilled to be reaching record occupancy levels.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.