Understanding the role of home care professionals

The need for care and support at home can occur gradually or suddenly. It could be the result of a sudden accident or a long term degenerative disease. Either way the loss of ability and independence can be difficult to cope with. Furthermore, having a stream of strangers supporting you in your own home may feel intrusive and confusing.

On the other hand, not getting the right health and social care services at home can be stressful and may put your health and well-being at risk.   

At Bluebird Care we recognise these challenges. We believe that having information about the roles of home care professionals can help you stay in control and choose what is best for you.

District nursing 

District nurses are qualified, registered nurses. They give vital health care to people in their own homes. A district nurse often visits after a person has been discharged from hospital or when they have a long term medical condition that needs ongoing nursing care. In addition to any ongoing treatment, they will teach you and/or your family how to provide the care you need. The nurse will also check to see whether you need any other specialist support. To give you the best care, district nurses work as part of a team with other health care professionals and with your home care service.

Occupational therapy

If your health is preventing you from doing usual everyday tasks, your doctor may refer you to an occupational therapist. Health conditions may include a learning disability, mental health condition, a physical disability or other illness.

The occupational therapist will talk to you about the activities that are important to you, what you can do well and where you are experiencing difficulty. Their role is to find ways to make everyday life easier for you. For example, you may have no trouble going out, but could find it hard to dress or to open tins of food or jars, or you could be finding it difficult to get in and out of the bath safely. They will explore ways of helping you to do these things. They could suggest changes to your environment, using special equipment or approaching the task in a different way.

Physiotherapy

Some injuries, disabilities or illnesses may restrict your movement or normal bodily actions. Physiotherapy aims to improve this. A physiotherapist will look at you as a whole person and not just see the illness or injury. They will work with you to treat the immediate problem and will also give you advice about how to prevent the problem recurring or getting worse. For example, they may suggest specific ongoing exercises, maintaining a healthy weight, changes to your posture and positioning etc. 

Home care

Home care services give you the essential care and support you need to live in the comfort of your own home. This is sometimes referred to as ‘social care’ or ‘domiciliary care’ and does not include nursing support. There are many companies offering these types of services. Bluebird Care is one of the leading providers of home care across the United Kingdom.

Bluebird Care provides excellent quality care to keep you safe and comfortable in your own home. We believe it’s your life and your care, so it must be your way. We see each of our customers as unique, with individual lifestyles and needs. We keep you in control and provide you with the care and support you want, where and when you want it. At Bluebird Care we work with you, your families and your health care professionals as a team so you receive the best services to meet your specific needs.

The services we offer include:

• Help with personal care and hygiene
• Help with getting up and going to bed
• Prompting or giving medicines and collecting or returning medication from pharmacies or dispensing GP surgeries
• Preparing meals and helping at mealtimes
• Collecting pensions and shopping
• Laundry and housework
• Support with social activities such as attending a day centre, visiting friends or family, going to your church or club, etc.

Contact your local Bluebird Care office to discuss how we can create a bespoke service to meet your needs.