Ellie U.

“We are immensely grateful to all the carers that Hometouch has helped us find over the past year to take care of our father in the last stage of his life. We particularly appreciate the maturity, commitment and background experience of Ellie Ungvari, who stayed with Dad for the last three months right up to his passing. She took a genuine interest in Dad’s life stories, providing him with real companionship in a very respectful way. She also brought positivity and sensitivity to everything she did, from preparing meals to changing clothes and washing him, as well as shopping and communicating with me and my brothers over all the arrangements as Dad became more frail and needy. Her professional experience in palliative care was invaluable, giving us great reassurance and support as the final moments approached. Dad was able to pass away peacefully at home in his own bed, enabling us to be close by. Thank you Ellie.”

“For many months Ellie has been caring for my mother who is in her late 80s and suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease. This means that Ellie has to feed, wash, dress and cook for mum as well as dealing with her toileting needs, monitoring her catheter and administering her medication on time, doing her laundry, cleaning the flat and so on. She does all this with great professionalism, but also with a gentleness as she is genuinely very fond of mum and always wants to make sure she is physically comfortable. Just before Christmas last year, my mother ended up in hospital and daily, for about 3 weeks, Ellie made the hour long bus journey to the hospital in order to arrive ready to feed mum her lunch. She then stayed all afternoon with mum, feeding her again when the evening meal was brought round. She would get a lift home about 7pm with a family member. I can honestly say that if Ellie had not been in the hospital each day to ensure that mum was eating and drinking, I don’t think mum would have survived as the nurses just did not have the time to feed the patients! When mum returned home, Ellie was able to manage the transition and the use of a hoist to get mum out of bed for the commode or to sit in her chair for a while. Ellie also made a great effort to cook food to make mum strong again. Mum has some problems with chewing and swallowing, so Ellie often prepares soups, but with cream added to increase the nutritional and calorific value, which mum needs as she is painfully thin. As my mother is still mentally very bright, but totally physically disabled we also wanted a carer with whom she could engage in conversations. Ellie is an intelligent woman whose spoken English is excellent; she enjoys sharing her opinions and discussing a lot of different subjects. Finally, Ellie is a ‘character’ with a sense of humour. She has always been reliable, trustworthy and punctual. If she has ever had any concerns about mum’s welfare she has been proactive in contacting the nurse or doctor. In short, mum feels that she is in safe confident hands when Ellie is looking after her.”