Step by step
From the first call to the evening text
This is the whole first visit, in order. It is the same for every family, and your parent can stop or change it at any step.
- 01
Step 1: A call with you, and with your parent if they want it
Willa asks what a good visit looks like to them: which rooms matter, what is not to be touched, what time of day suits them, and who to ring if they do not come to the door.
- 02
Step 2: The day before, a name and a window
Your parent gets a call and you get a text with the name of who is coming and a two-hour window. Nobody should find a stranger at the door.
- 03
Step 3: At the door, two of us and two names
We say who we are, and ask where your parent would like us to start. They can sit with us, stay in another room or go out.
- 04
Step 4: We clean around their things
Nothing is moved without asking, and whatever is moved goes back. We leave medicines, mail, cash and papers where they are.
- 05
Step 5: Before we leave, a walk-through
We go through the house with your parent and ask what to do differently next time. A card by the door says who came and what we did.
- 06
Step 6: That evening, a text to you
A few plain lines: what we did, and anything we noticed, such as a burnt-out bulb or a loose rug. We tell you what we saw. We do not guess at health.
The call
What Willa asks on the first call
About your parent
What name they like to be called
Whether they will be home, and what time suits them
Anything that tires them, like stairs or noise
About the home
How big it is and how it is lived in
Which rooms matter most
Rugs, cords, a walker or cane to keep clear
About getting in
Whether your parent will answer the door
A key, a lockbox code or the gate list
Who else has a key
About you
The best number and time for the evening text
Who else in the family should get it
Anything your parent should not be told
A gentle start
If your parent is not sure about this
That is a fair response, and a common one. It is their home. We do not start until they have talked to Willa, or have said they would rather you did.
Willa calls your parent herself, and does not rush
A first visit can be an hour in one room
They can say stop at any point and we leave
You can take it from there, or leave it for a month
Ready to set up the first call?
Send a few lines and Willa will ring you by the end of the next business day.