Therapies in Day Centres

[GracefulH&B]

Hi Fellow Geeks

I have recently seen an advert for a local day centre for elderly people advertising for therapists to go in and do treatments on the clients there. You have to apply by email. I didn't really want to email a letter saying "Hi my name is Mandy and I am a therapist, this is what I do, and this is how much I charge". I want to try and look a bit more professional.

So firstly, does anybody have any ideas of how to word the letter and how do I make it look professional. And secondly, does anybody have any idea how you price this sort of thing. Do you just charge an hourly rate or do you charge per person. I would charge £25 for a reflexology treatment and I thought that I could charge that and do, say 4 foot massages in an hour. How does that sound?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[J.Victoria]

Hiya, my mother is also a beauty therapist, she goes to an elderly care home to do treatments. Firstly she had to get CRB checked, and her prices are really low!!! I don't think you would make much money with this, as they are living on a pension and generally they don't have £25 to pay for treatments. What she does is charge £5 for file and paint and a little hand/foot massage, and £5-£10 (I can't really remember), for indian head massage. The thing is, she doesn't actually make much money but goes along to cheer them up so to speak. She goes for about 4 hours every fortnight. I'm thinking about doing it aswell, but not on a money making thing, rather just to go and perk them up and have a chat. They really appreciate her going and look forward to her visiting every other week. I don't want stereotype them but many are lonely and it's a nice way to give a little back. hth xx

 

[GracefulH&B]

Thanks for your reply.

I am also a nurse so I have done courses in protection of vulnerable adults, etc and have a CRB check although I know I would have to have another one done for this place.

It would be the day centre that pays the therapist and not the elderly clients themselves. I have done some work with Chest, Heart and Stroke at their weekly meetings and it is the organisation that pays not the clients. I charged them £25 an hour but, like you say, it would be nice to go and sit with these clients and have a natter. When I am nursing, I never have the time to sit with the clients, I'm always running around trying to get things done. However, the business side of me says, that I need to make a few quid out of it.

Anybody else any ideas.

 

[J.Victoria]

It's a different matter if the care home are paying you, thats a nice thing that they're doing. In that case I havn't got a clue what you could charge! lol. Good luck xx