Where Does Charity Begin?

[david63]

A bit of background.

Recently my 95 year old mother had a [minor] fall and ended up in hospital for a day. Upon being discharged she placed in the care of the "Proactive Elderly Care Team" - basically a team that continues to monitor patients at home rather than have them "bed blocking". This proved to be an excellent service with nurses, pharmacists, physios and all manner of other disciplines involved and also other agencies - one of which was the Fire Service who checked out, and replaced, her smoke detectors.

As a result of the Fire Service visit she was referred to another agency as she is hard of hearing (actually she is deaf!) to see if there were any aids that would benefit her.

The other day when I visited her she said that the "deaf aid" people were coming on Monday afternoon to show her what was available and there was a "call out" fee of £30 which would be refunded if she bought anything. This was red rag to bull time.

After a couple of days trying to track down who these people are it turns out that they are a deaf society who are a charity.

So we have a charity that is there to assist deaf people who charge to help them - whilst what they are doing may be legal, in my book it is both immoral and unethical and is taking advantage of the disabled.

Needless to say my intervention has resulted in the visit being cancelled.

Rant over.

[barney]

Rant fully justified David

[Meg 50]

in my book, that isn't how a charity operates...

so,
1) does it have a charity number? if so look into the Charity commission's guidelines and consider reporting them.

2) If no number, definitely report them cos that's misrepresentation

[Stephen]

Where Does Charity Begin?

At home.

[Dark Knight]

not quite sure what the crux of this is ?
is it because you think the call out should be free as it is a charity? surely you realise they have costs and said the £30 would be refunded on purchase of an hearing aid, which by your own admission your mother needs?

you are well able to afford a mere £30 so what's the issue other than the word charity, which oddly enough is not spelt F R E E

[Kenmo1]

you are well able to afford a mere £30 so what's the issue other than the word charity, which oddly enough is not spelt F R E E

It might cause difficulties for a 95 year old person without any relations to help them out with 'a mere £30' if they had to pay this fee from a small basic pension and didn't have enough money to cover the charge.

Maureen

[Manoverboard]

... The other day when I visited her she said that the "deaf aid" people were coming on Monday afternoon to show her what was available and there was a "call out" fee of £30 which would be refunded if she bought anything.

I was impressed by the support your Mother received overall and personally have absolutely no objection to the call out fee ... but only if Mum agreed to it in advance.

Consider ...

What happens if one goes to the Doc for a hearing test and he/she says that one needs an appliance. No problem you go to the Hearing Centre and get sorted out but what happens if one says " Can't get there Doc, can they come to my house " ... ' they ' would make the visit but surely make a charge to deter timewasters.

Your rant is not / may not be entirely appropriate in my opinion.

[Dark Knight]

you are well able to afford a mere £30 so what's the issue other than the word charity, which oddly enough is not spelt F R E E

It might cause difficulties for a 95 year old person without any relations to help them out with 'a mere £30' if they had to pay this fee from a small basic pension and didn't have enough money to cover the charge.

Maureen

Maureen
This is specific to David's mother, so even if she could not afford it, David can
So in this specific case, I really don't see a problem
Also, Moby beat me to my next post, for a check up, advice and the convenience of a home visit for a ,95 yr old lady , it is frankly peanuts and IMHO not worth a seconds thought

[Stephen]

Having read David's post again I am inclined to agree with him.

I know it's not medical related but the principle is still the same. I can't recall being charged a call out fee for anything. If someone wants your business then they are going to come round, quote and hopefully get the job/sell a product. Now if they hide a call out fee within the quote that's down to them, but providing I am happy with the quote everyone's a winner.

And lets bare in mind we are talking about a 95yr old lady here.

And whether David can afford the £30 or not is irrelevant.

[Gill W]

It's apparent that this lady needs a hearing aid.

It's not as if the charity is trying to sell her something she doesn't need. They are providing a service - visiting the lady in her own home. Charities have costs and overheads, so they can't do everything for free - sometimes they have to charge for what they do.

For someone who's 95 years old, I think a home visit would be a good idea. If she decided to buy a hearing aid, no doubt they'd also do aftercare - calling round to supply batteries, clean the tubes and generally help her with the operation of the unit. Hearing aids can be fiddly things, and it'd be much more relaxing for an elderly person to be in the comfort of their own home with all this.

However, as it's been decided that the home visit is not required, there would appear to be other options.

Go with the NHS, wait weeks for an appointment, which is guaranteed to be inconvenient, wait hours in the waiting room, have access to a functional, but limited range of AIDS, wait weeks for it to be supplied, get another inconvenient appointment to have it fitted, have a very quick instruction on how it works, then have to go back every time you need batteries or maintenance.

Or you could go to Specsavers or another High Street supplier...... But still she'd have to get herself there, and obviously pay for the unit, batteries and maintenance.

The home visit would seem to be an attractive alternative for an elderly person..... It's a pity it's been vetoed.

[Barb44]

David didn't actually say she needed hearing aids. There are lots of aids for deaf people - things like telephone amplifiers or doorbell amplifiers. If it is this kind of equipment she needs then social services might be able to help.

[Onelife]

Hi David....l think l must be missing something here.... if your mother is 'actually deaf' then surely a hearing aid is long overdue, something l presume family members would have been aware of for some time?

If it helps l ordered a hearing aid from Amazon only a few months ago...It cost me £24 and it works perfectly fine other than to say it looks like l have a slug crawling round my lug hole.

Regards

Keith

[david63]

To answer a few points

does it have a charity number?

Yes it does. Already checked it out with CC and is a charity with over £1.3 million annual turnover.

Looking at this charities website I got an uneasy feeling about the whole operation - there were far too many staff being employed and the cynic in me was saying that they were mostly related.

is it because you think the call out should be free as it is a charity? surely you realise they have costs and said the £30 would be refunded on purchase of an hearing aid, which by your own admission your mother needs?

Yes I agree that they have costs - as does every other "business" but those costs are built into the operation. Do you charge a "fee" every time you visit a client?

you are well able to afford a mere £30

There is no issue with the affording the cost (other than it is a couple of bottles of wine on the next cruise!)

What happens if one goes to the Doc for a hearing test and he/she says that one needs an appliance. No problem you go to the Hearing Centre and get sorted out but what happens if one says " Can't get there Doc, can they come to my house " ... ' they ' would make the visit but surely make a charge to deter timewasters.

The issue is not about an "in the ear" hearing aid (we have been down that road and that is a story for another day!) Also remember that she did not ask them to come but was referred to them by another agency (who, incidentally, were not aware of this fee)

can't recall being charged a call out fee for anything. If someone wants your business then they are going to come round, quote and hopefully get the job/sell a product. Now if they hide a call out fee within the quote that's down to them, but providing I am happy with the quote everyone's a winner.

My point exactly - if I want a quote for new double glazing then I do not expect, nor would I, pay a fee to come out and give the quote.

There are lots of aids for deaf people - things like telephone amplifiers or doorbell amplifiers

These are the types of things that they would be trying to sell - all of which she already has.

if your mother is 'actually deaf' then surely a hearing aid is long overdue,

See above - yes it is but it is not going to happen.

[mavismumakrill]

This reminds me of when my spinster aunt was in her 80's, not at all well and living in a sheltered higher care centre where she had her own rented small flat. The resident warden of the complex arranged for a firm to go showing different items, supposedly at a good price and really useful. My aunt decided she wanted an adjustable bed and signed for it there and then. When she told us about it and I checked the price it was extortionate and, as we already knew she didn't have too long left (she had stomach cancer), we said that Colin would take her to a proper shop and she could buy one much cheaper and she could try it properly. I rung the firm on her bill and they said that she had signed so had to pay. So, I said that she had no access to her finances as I had Power of Attorney and wouldn't agree to pay for their bed. I did have all the papers signed by a solicitor but not by a doctor to put it into effect, but they didn't know that. They soon said she could tear up the documents from them. Two weeks later she went into hospital and never went back to her flat as she had palliative care and died. If I hadn't have said I had her Power of Attorney she would have bought a bed that she probably would not have even slept in. The elderly and disabled have to have their wits about them as they can soon be conned.

Mavis x

[Onelife]

Hi David...I can't imagine anything being straight forward when caring for someone of your mothers grand age. Please accept my apology for being a tad over inquisitive with regard to why your mother was without a hearing aid.

Regards

Keith

[wolfie]

Well said Mavis. A POA is a must for anyone. (LPA's still stand apparently ? BUT, they do not cover the same territory as a POA which is much more extensive),but you are fortunate that you got away with not having registered it. I'm having problems even with a registered POA!!!!They want the original, (not a certified copy), sent to them. No way! I would encourage all to complete one and register it, otherwise a great deal, everything actually, is taken out of your hands and is dealt with, at far more cost than setting up a POA, by the Court of Protection, when/if you ever lack capacity to manage decisions on your care or finances.

Anyway, back to topic and the OP. There are opticians that provide home visits at no cost, (my mother had this service for many years with no hard sell), so there may be similar for hearing tests. Recently we both had a free hearing test at a well know chemist, begins with B and ends with S, 5 letter word. Maybe they do home visits? We never stint on costs to the optician or dentist and would not, if needs be in future, on paying for a hearing test that might benefit either of us to enjoy a better quality of life. Just my opinion.

[david63]

Hi David...I can't imagine anything being straight forward when caring for someone of your mothers grand age. Please accept my apology for being a tad over inquisitive with regard to why your mother was without a hearing aid.

Regards

Keith

No problem Keith

[towny44]

I agree with David on this issue, I would not expect nor accept any call out fee from any organisation, whether charitable or not, and my immediate reaction to this would have been exactly the same as David's.

[anniec]

I agree with David on this issue, I would not expect nor accept any call out fee from any organisation, whether charitable or not, and my immediate reaction to this would have been exactly the same as David's.

So do I. The charities helping my mother (for example, the RNIB) ask for a voluntary donation only. This is given willingly.

[Manoverboard]

Nope .... any charges that may apply for such services are as a result of the NHS not picking up the tab.

There is no reason at all why the NHS should be expected to pay for absolutely everything, home visits from the surgery could also be charged for in the longer term ... and why not ?

There is also a huge difference between paying for a home consultation regarding a medical matter that was referred than a visit by Crappo Glass for a double glazing quotation.

[oldbluefox]

Would I pay for some salesman to come and try to peddle his wares, usually at some exorbitant price? Would I heck? I would have done exactly what David did and cancelled.

[Meg 50]

To answer a few points

does it have a charity number?

Yes it does. Already checked it out with CC and is a charity with over £1.3 million annual turnover.

Looking at this charities website I got an uneasy feeling about the whole operation - there were far too many staff being employed and the cynic in me was saying that they were mostly related.

report your concerns to the Charity commissioners. There was a charity in the paper yesterday(?) who had had their knuckles sharply rapped by the CC over their practices