A NEW home support organisation has been launched by a brother and sister team from Malton – after caring for their grandfather.
VISIT Home Support, based in Malton, has been set up by Max, 37, and Francesca Floris, 42, to help people in need.
The siblings are the children of Ignazio Floris, who founded Florios Ristorante in Malton, and joined forces after caring for their grandfather, Gordon Howden, who died aged 98.
Mr Howden was the first headteacher of Norton School (now College) and helped to set up the school in the 1960s.
When caring for their grandfather, Max explained how it was brough to light how the “health and social care system can be overwhelming for older adults and their families,” and said that VISIT aims to help with it.
“Our goal at VISIT is to empower older adults and their families with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions about their care,” he added.
He said the service helps people to ensure they have all the information they need to make a well-informed decision with the options they have.
Max is a care manager for North Yorkshire Social Services and has over 16 years of experience in the industry.
Currently, Francesca runs the service during the week and Max oversees it at weekends – but in the future the pair hopes to expand and recruit more staff members.
In addition to support and advice, VISIT offers a respite program for caregivers during the day, including contingency planning and advice to reduce care-related stress and fatigue.
It also offers cleaning and housekeeping, assistance with food shopping, meal preparation, and light gardening to support older adults with everyday tasks.
Another area of focus is on supporting people with hospital discharges by ensuring the home environment is safe and hazard-free.
The service can also provide support with everyday tasks such as food shopping and companionship.
Max said VISIT is not registered with the CQC and does not provide personal care or medication administration but can prompt with personal care and medication reminders.
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Looking to the future, he said: “Our vision is to work in partnership with social services and the NHS to enhance the quality of care and support for the individuals we serve by assisting social services and the NHS in minimising delays and reducing hospital admissions through our support and services.
“We aim to collaborate closely with these organisations to ensure that individual needs are met effectively.
“Our role is not to duplicate or substitute the work of social services, but rather to provide supplementary support and guidance to ensure that individuals receive prompt and appropriate assistance.”
More information about VISIT Home Support can be found on the service’s website.
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