Be Independent Home Care was founded and is directed and managed by Alice Lucey and Caitriona O Donovan. Both are registered general nurses with experience in caring around the world and have dedicated their entire working career to the provision of top quality healthcare and social care services. Quality of care is at the core of all service provision with Caitriona holding a post graduate qualification in health and safety and Alice a degree in Social Care.

Background:

Caitriona and Alice’s passion for home care and home help began in 1997 when they were both working as nurses for a home care agency in Australia. They were assigned to the same home care case, caring for an elderly couple in their home in Sydney. Both Caitriona and Alice had come from working in care of the elderly services in Ireland where the vast majority of care was being provided in either hospitals or nursing homes. Both nurses felt that this model of care was not providing older people with the dignity and independence  that they deserved. Both were impressed with the Australian home care service and how this model of care ensured that their clients retained their independence, dignity and individuality in their own home. The experience left both Alice and Caitriona as strong believers in the need to introduce quality home care as a real choice to nursing home and residential care in Ireland.

As attitudes towards aging, health and wellness evolved here in Ireland, home care services became more readily available. However while working in their separate roles in healthcare and social care here in Ireland both Caitriona and Alice became increasingly aware of the emergence of sub standard home care services.

Despite the fact that home care services cater for approximately 12.5% of over 65’s, there are no standards or regulations in the Irish market. This absence of quality standards had created unacceptable risk to home care customers. Based on this and given their experience and absolute commitment to safe and quality care and their belief that every person has the right to remain in their own home by accessing quality homecare and home help support Caitriona and Alice opened Be Independent Home Care in Ireland at the end of 2010.