20 questions..

USING PROFESSIONAL CARE SERVICES PROVIDED BY EXPERTS MAKES LIFE HERE ON THE ALGARVE FAR EASIER FOR THOSE WHO NEED FULL- OR PART-TIME SUPPORT. WE TALKED TO SAAR ABOUT ITS KEY SERVICES

1 Saar, what does the name stand for? Saar is the Dutch term for over-50s.

2 Is the company Portuguese? Yes we are a fully registered, insured and licensed care company in Portugal.

3 Tell us about the management team. Our Transport Director is Portuguese, we are close to having an ambulance service in our portfolio, and our Technical Director, also Portuguese, is a trained psychologist. Our Operations Manager is from the UK and has worked in the health sector since the 70s. Our clinical lead helps us deliver a quality service.

4 What research was undertaken to see what was already available here? Our CEO is Dutch and has lived in Portugal for over 35 years and has been acutely aware of the gap in care services. It's particularly important to us that our care is both health and social, and focused on individual need s.

5 What were the key things you felt were missing? Providing a service for people in their own home in a structured way seemed almost non-existent.

6 So, what do you offer your clients?

We provide Portuguese advocates to help clients in the Portuguese health economy, live-in care for those who don’t want to return to their country of origin or move into a care home, palliative care and end of life care, and we provide companionship and dementia care. The list is truly endless.

7 Do you take charge of short-term needs such as after an operation? We have clients who need a short period of support to recover from an illness or a procedure, or on-going care to provide peace of mind for family members who may live in other countries. Or even because they’re here for a holiday and need a bit of additional help.

8 What would be a typical day for one of your staff? Many carers enjoy their role because there isn’t a typical day – they can move from a live-in care assignment, to daily visits offering personal care.

9 Are there clients who just need company? We assess each client’s needs and wants. Our job is not to rearrange their lives but to support them so they are able to enjoy what is important for them.

10 Do carers shop and cook for clients? If that’s needed, then yes.

11 Are your carers full time and what qualifications do they have? We have some 80 full- and part-time carers who are on contract. The main thing we look for is whether a potential carer has natural compassion and empathy. Our staff get regular training to ensure our clients get quality care and support.

12 What languages do your carers speak? The majority are English-speaking, but between them they have some 15 languages.

13 Which nationalities are your clients? They are predominantly English, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, South-African and German.

14 And what sort of ages? It ranges from people in their 20s to those in their 90s.

15 What are the key reasons for an individual or their family calling Saar? All referrals are because an individual or a family are not coping with ill health or a particular frailty. The largest demographic that we support is older people.

16 Do you have your own medical staff? What services do you call in if there is a problem? We access medical help when required and other disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, speech and language therapys, physiotherapy and pharmacy. The list of support services is potentially unlimited.

17 Do you help improve your client’s social life like by getting them together with others? Holistic and person-centered care is not only about meeting client’s physical needs but also emotional needs. For many of the people we support socializing is a very important part of who they are, and how they recover from a period of ill health.

18 Are the costs of most of your services covered by private medical insurance? We work with our clients assisting them to access our services through their insurance companies, but a large number do pay for their care privately.

19 Can you arrange insurance when necessary? We are currently not set up to arrange or supply insurance packages, but maybe we should play a small part in encouraging the local population to have the necessary insurance so that they can be supported in times of need by our service.

20 How can one get assessed? One can book a free no-obligation assessment visit in the comfort of their own home and find out how we can support them. As a result of this assessment, we will have a complete understanding of the support required. It also gives a potential client the opportunity to ask any questions they may have regarding personal care requirements.

Ernst Neidhardt is a graphic designer from Fulda, Germany, who spends a third of the year in the Algarve. A member of the APG since 2008, he is a committed amateur photographer and motor-flying pilot, and always on the lookout for nature, folklore, wildlife and people who could become his subjects