DCA - Dead Client on Arrival.
Curtains drawn, milk on step, cat waiting to get in, no response to knocking on door, gate bolted.
As a professional I am well trained for these situations.
1. Check if client owes money
2. Dig out next of kin contact details.
3. Bang on doors and windows.
4. Attempt to phone client.
5. Check with neighbours.
6. Repeat knocking etc for 20 minutes.
7. Phone 999 if unable to get hold of next of kin.
However after 20 minutes the 82 year old lady opens the gate and explains that she went out dancing and had a few drinks and didn't get home till 1 am!!
No apologies for causing me to be 30 minutes behind schedule! But as she said, at her age you don't get too many opportunities to get out and let your hair down!
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Okay the post whilst true was a bit tongue in cheek but it highlights how important it can be to have the next of kin contact details for the more vulnerable clients. Sadly we are probably most likely to see the client more regularly than their immediate family and it is reassuring for all parties knowing that a trusted person would keep an eye out and report back any serious issues.
Graeme I think you have a point, this year a few of my clients have been diagnosed with terminal conditions, and while very sad news I should probably gather the next of kins details just in case...
Thankfully some of my more vulnerable clients their immediately family contacted me to take on their parents property so of course I had their details already. 3 or 4 I have asked if they would be happy if they gave me their next of kin details (have to ask carefully and with tact) but never had any issues.
Unfortunately I have had to contact next kin on 5 occasions and would only do so in an emergency or if something was a major concern and not to report back that their grand mother likes too much gin on her cornflakes.
I'm just glad Mum got home safely. She's a bugger for parties :)
And I now refuse to give her a lift home at 6AM anymore David! :-)
You make a very good point Graeme.
One of my clients died over a Christmas period and was undiscovered for a whole week. To my knowledge he had just a nephew (in London, I think) and a sister, who lived in Canada.
He kept himself to himself so his neighbours probably didn't realise anything was wrong when he wasn't seen.
It's also so true what you say about [us] being the ones that clients see on a regular basis. There's often so much [moral] responsibility attached to being a garden carer.
Very true Phil, in fact I touched on this subject in my blog (shameful plug!!) at http://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/fed-up-with-mowing-... where I mentioned that for some of our elderly clients we are often viewed as the forth emergency service, they know we will be there every week and quite often we are their only visitors.