Recreational therapists: scheduling home visit sessions

Let families and carers book activity-based sessions at home online, with home visits as their own service, slots grouped by area on set days and travel time built into each slot. Say in the description which areas you cover, how long a session lasts, what the family should have ready and who should be present. You spend less time driving between opposite ends of town, families book a time that fits their routine, and each visit starts with the address and access details already in hand.

A session at home takes longer than one in your room, because of travel and setting up. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity. Give home visits one place per slot, so one family books each visit.

Durations are examples: set your own, and state your fees and any travel charge in the description of each service.

Create one home visit service per area, such as north side on Tuesdays and south side on Thursdays, and open slots only on that day. Families choose the service for their area, and your day stays within one part of town. Slots repeat each week on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so a regular round takes a few minutes to set up.

Make each slot long enough for the session plus travel to the next address, and say in the description that the slot length includes travel. A family then sees a time that you can really keep, and you don't arrive late to the third visit of the day.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the booker's calendar file. Ask in the description for:

Since the note appears in the calendar file, keep health details out of it and collect them through your own intake process.

Say in the description what space you need, such as a table or a clear area of floor, and whether you bring all the materials or use the participant's own games, music or craft supplies. Familiar objects can help a session at home, so ask families to have favourite items ready.

A regular day and time each week gives the participant a routine to look forward to. After the first visit, book the following visits yourself from your calendar; first and last name are required, email and phone optional, and the family receives a confirmation with a calendar file if you enter their email. Book doesn't send reminders, so a short message the day before can help.

If you see several residents in the same care home or supported living setting, open a service for that address with consecutive slots, so the staff book each resident one after another and you stay on site. Ask in the note for the resident's first name and the staff contact for the day.

Put the booking link on your website, in letters to referring schools, social workers and care teams, and in the information pack you leave after a first visit. Families who are referred can then pick the round for their area and a time that suits them without a phone call.

Families can't move or cancel bookings online: they contact you, and you move the visit from your bookings list. Rescheduling works across services, so a visit can move from the north round to the south round if the family is staying elsewhere. If you have to cancel, tell the family yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Your bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.