Home Care - A Guide

The purpose of home care is to help people:

• Live full, interesting lives in the comfort of their own home.
• Reduce visits to hospital.
• Avoid moving into a residential care home.
• Remain independent by doing things for themselves and providing assistance where it’s needed.
• Be in control of what they do, how they do it and when they do it.
• Continue to pursue their hobbies and interests.

Bluebird Home Care assistants can help by:

• Taking customers to visit friends and family.
• Visits to places of interest.These trips can be a short visit to the local restaurant or a week’s holiday abroad.
• Assisting customers to do their own shopping by taking them to the shops.
• Undertaking tasks for customers such as shopping, cleaning the home, washing and ironing, paying the bills and running errands; if that is what the customer wants. 
• Assisting customers to cook a meal or prepare the meal for them.
• Assisting customers to get out of bed, bath, get dressed; look their best!
• Assisting with medication.

Can I have help for a short period of time?
Most companies provide temporary care to:

• Help a customer recover after a stay in hospital.
• Allow family carer(s) to go on holiday.
• Allow customer’s personal assistant to take leave or to cover sickness.​

How long are care visits?
The length of care visits depends on what help the customer requires.  At Bluebird Care we recommend 30 minutes as the minimum time.  Medication checks can be undertaken in a shorter visit. However, we recommend 30 minutes because it allows carer and customer to build a relationship.

Care visits can be from 30 minutes upwards with no maximum limit. However, most care visits are usually between 30 minutes to an hour. 

It is common for family carers to contract with a home care provider where a customer needs help through the night. Having a carer stay at the home to assist the customer through the night allows family carers to rest.

Live-In care is where a carer lives with the customer in the customer’s home 24 hours a day. This allows the customer to receive one on one care in the comfort of their own home. Their own home is where people are usually most comfortable and where they have many memories.

Who is care in the home for?

Care can be provided in the home for anyone who needs help to live in their own home. Care can be provided to children and people of all ages; including those with:

• Physical disabilities.
• Learning difficulties.
• Dementia.
• Temporary medical conditions – recovering from a fall, recovering from a stroke or a hospital visit.
• Frailties of older age.

Need more help and guidance?
Bluebird Care has a wealth of practical experience and expertise - please feel free to get in touch for an informal chat about your needs.