What is home care?
Home care is also known as domiciliary care. It involves a carer, nursing care provider or other healthcare professional visiting a client in their own home to offer specialist clinical or companionship care services.
There are many different types of home care service, and it is the perfect service for those who wish to remain in their homes while receiving care rather than moving to a residential care home. You can arrange these services through local councils or independent medical care agencies.
Home care is the ideal solution for older people who require assistance, care and support in their day-to-day lives. Clients of home care agencies may have:
Complex healthcare conditions, such as dementia.
Limitations from mental or physical disabilities.
Limitations while recovering from stays in the hospital.
A limited life expectancy, such as those requiring palliative care.
A care coordinator will assess the client's care needs before matching them with a care provider. This carer will ideally complement the client's location, care needs and even personality.
A senior carer will meet with the client to discuss their personal care requirements to understand precisely what they are looking for. This is known as a "needs assessment", from which the care agency will develop a care plan denoting which social care services will be carried out by the carer assigned.
How can homecare help me?
Home care providers can help you with:
Waking you up and getting you out of bed
Ablutions and dressing for the day
Toileting
Styling hair, applying makeup and shaving
Meal preparation and feeding
Medication routines and organising prescriptions
Grocery shopping and running errands
Collecting pensions
Going outside to local clubs or for walks
Arranging visits for family and friends
Caring, walking and feeding pets
Getting ready for bed and nighttime routines
The personal nature of receiving care at home also allows a carer to become an expert in their particular client's case, knowing precisely how to deal with the challenges they are going through. For those in the early stages of dementia, where they may not comprehend that they need help, personal home care can be a brilliant option.
Companionship Care
Given that the limiting effects of age or illness can create a great sense of loneliness or isolation, many clients will wish for companionship when arranging care at home. Those who are still fit enough to carry on with independent living may want to avoid moving into a residential nursing home and may want some company throughout the day.
This service can bring untold benefits to both mental and emotional wellbeing. Having a friendly face you can rely on for conversation over a cup of tea can alleviate the significant loneliness that can come with old age.
Personal Care
Personal care involves assisting clients with daily tasks that they may find difficult due to old age, illness or injury. These tasks can be anything from the list above. In addition, carers will assist their clients with mobility and getting around the house or outside.
Personal care services are customisable, as each client will choose what their carer does and does not help them with or what they would like to do throughout their day. Therefore, each carer's duties will vary depending on what their client needs help with.
Dementia Care
There are many different forms of dementia that people can have, with Alzheimer's disease being the most common. Over 800,000 people currently have dementia in the UK and often require specialist home care services.
A care provider will help a person with dementia carry out their day-to-day tasks and ensure that they can socialise and get out of the house. Carers will have received the necessary training and have the subsequent experience to deal with any problematic behaviour presented by their clients.
Respite Home Care
Respite care is a short-term service where those who provide full-time care for clients or loved ones are relieved of their duties by a temporary carer. This can be a regular weekly service or a one-off occasion where a full-time carer needs a well-deserved break.
Especially for those caring for loved ones, it can be challenging to find time for yourself, with respite care offering the perfect opportunity to undertake some self-care.
Dedicated respite carers have the necessary training and expertise to handle a wide range of cases.
In addition, each carer may specialise in particular care services, such as dementia or arthritis care, and will be able to take on all the necessary duties to cover the care needs of their client during the visit.
Respite care is also a brilliant option for those recently returning from the hospital. While they convalesce, it can be helpful having a short-term carer on hand to assist with daily routines.
This form of respite care applies to people of all ages, as recovering from surgeries or an injury can pose limitations and difficulties, especially if you have to administer your own medication.
Live-in care
Live-in care is relatively self-explanatory. A carer will come to live in the home of the client they are caring for.
This is the perfect care option for those needing around-the-clock care and support, for example, those with complex or developing conditions. But, of course, live-in care is only possible if the client has enough room in their home to accommodate a carer living with them.
Live-in care allows people to remain in the comfort of their own homes and hold on to their independence, all while receiving professional care and support. People will be able to carry on doing the things they love to do, with the addition of an expert helping hand.
One drawback of having a live-in carer to look after someone is that they may risk losing some of their privacy. However, trained carers will know when to give their clients space and empathetically understand when they wish to be left alone. Either way, the carer will remain on hand for when their client needs any assistance.
A benefit of the intimate nature of live-in care is that the carer assigned will thoroughly get to know their client and understand their personal care needs.
This is why people should take great care when choosing which carer they want to provide the live-in care. In addition, given that the client will be spending a significant amount of time with the carer, they must be a good match for the client's personality and temperament. It is also vital that all DBS and other background checks are conducted to the letter.
Finally, given that the carer will be trusted to move in with the client and live with them, their professionalism must be beyond doubt.
Again, the client receiving the live-in care services must ensure that they can accommodate another person living with them.
This means that their home must be clean, tidy, and habitable for multiple persons. In addition, the carer will need their own room and facilities to move in and take care of their client on a full-time basis.
Nursing Care
While many care workers will have a decent level of clinical training, a carer with nursing qualifications will be required to carry out care services in some particular cases. In these scenarios, a registered nurse will visit the home of a client requiring specialist care. This can include:
Administering certain medications
Providing injections
Overseeing physical therapy
Treating dermatological issues
Dressing wounds and treating sores
Shared Lives
Shared Lives is a care scheme whereby a client will live with a care worker and their family while receiving care. Here, they will enjoy the company that living in a family unit can offer, ensuring that they also receive any specialist care they require. These can be both short and long-term arrangements, depending on the care needs of the client.
For younger clients, for example, those who have recently left care or have significant learning disabilities, this can be a short-term solution to their care needs. But, conversely, Shared Lives ensures that they are well looked after throughout their care treatment for older people with complex or long-term conditions.
While living within a family unit can bring great comfort and emotional stability, the Shared Lives scheme also allows clients to establish new routines, learn new skills and take up new hobbies.
In addition, by living with other people, clients of this scheme will naturally gather new interests and become part of a valuable community. All of this will have untold benefits for clients' mental wellbeing and self-esteem.
How to find the right care for your relative
01. Initial
Consultation
During your initial consultation with us a specialist care consultant will find out all your needs and requirements for your loved one.
02. Carer
Search
We recruit local carers specifically for the role, ensuring that they have the desired experience and skills for your needs.
03. Candidate
Interviews
Having the choice to conduct your own interviews ensures our candidates will be the perfect match for you.
04.Employment Confirmation
After finding the candidate you love the most, the employment between yourself and the carer/housekeeper will be confirmed.
About Us
Companions Home Care work with you to ensure that you get the best quality of life. Our private home carers provide high quality care visits at home for your loved ones throughout London.
We provide families with in-home care, part-time care, live-in care, respite care, housekeeper carer cooks, bilingual carers, and post-discharge care. Get in touch to see how we can help.
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