What is home care?

What is Home Care?

Home Care is providing the necessary care and support to someone so they can remain safe and independent in their own home.

Home care is often considered when:

• Someone is finding it difficult to cope with daily routines, such as washing, dressing and getting out and about

• Someone does not want to move into a care home

• Someone can still get about their home and it's safe for them to live in but adaptations, support or assistance may be needed to make it safer

Receiving care in your own home is often referred to as Home Care, Care at Home Domiciliary Care, or sometimes Home Help.

What does home care offer?

Now we know the answer to the quesion, what is home care, we can look at what it can offer... Home Care offers the necessary care and support needed for someone to remain safe and independent in their own home. It is different to residential care as it allows the person receiving care to stay in their own home whilst receiving the care and support they need, offering higher levels of person centred care. This care and support can range from preparing meals and general cleaning to personal and more complex care.

Care at home is the perfect answer for someone who may need a little extra support but is not ready to give up their family home they’ve worked so hard for. It offers them the opportunity stay in a familiar place with familiar surroundings and helps promote their independence for longer.

It also offers the chance for respite for any family and friends who may have been undertaking care duties prior to a home care provider stepping in, giving them more time and freedom to enjoy the company and do other activities aside from care.

Care in your own home

When things start to become a little more difficult to complete around the house, it may be the time when support is needed and receiving care in your own home is the next steps. Recognising when care at home is needed is sometimes the hardest part. Pride often gets in the way and accepting the things which used to be second nature are no longer as straight forward can be difficult to come to terms with.

Selecting a home care package has never been easier. Regular home care visits from a fully trained care assistant can be set up. These can range from 30 minutes through to several hours a day as well as overnight care packages, it is completely bespoke and tailored service to the needs of the individual.

Our care assistants can be arranged to help you with a wide range of everyday tasks, including:

• Providing all types of personal and domestic care
• Arrange OT Assessments and referrals to support moving and getting around the house
• Set prompts and reminders for medication as well as administer when needed. We can also contact GP’s regarding any medical needs
• Support a balanced diet and promote good nutrition and hydration
• We can support with household tasks such as laundry, shopping and spring cleaning
• The Team of Bluebirds can also promote social wellbeing and emotional resilience by offering companionship and social activities of your choice

Benefits of Home Care

Home care has some real benefits for not only the person receiving care but their friends, family and loved ones as well. As a home care provider, we have picked out some of the benefits receiving care in your own home.

There are many benefits to receiving care at home and more often to not these outweigh those of residential care. Below we showcase the main benefits of home care.

Remaining independent

Being be told what to do and when do it remove all the independence in life. This is often why someone chooses to receive care at home rather than moving into a residential home. It means the person receiving care can remain on their own schedule and make plans as they please. They can continue to go shopping or to social visits or events as they always have, but now with the added support and assistance of a care if necessary.

Stay in a familiar environment

Moving out the family home just because a little extra support and assistance is needed is not necessary. A home which is been lived in for many years as endless personal memories and staying living there is important. A place which is familiar and is full of home comforts beats moving into a new environment which has no memorable surroundings. Home Care enables you to keep your home, your belongings and stay where your feel most comfortable. This has many benefits for someone who may suffer from Dementia as being surrounded by personal items, pictures and books etc can all help with their memory. Living somewhere new can sometimes be confusing and disorienting and confusing for a Dementia patient.

Continue to live in the local community among friends and neighbours

Being able to stay in the local community allows friendships to continue to flourish with neighbours and those who live around you. Care at home makes it possible to see the people who would be seen on a daily basis without having the need to travel to a place you once lived.

Cost of care

Care at home is often a cheaper option to moving into a full time residential home. The amount paid for home is completely dependent on the level of care and support needed.

Person centred care

Home care offers high levels of person centred care. When Care assistants visits a home their primary focus is on the care needs of the individual, therefore care needs can be met faster and more effectively than if there was others needing care as well. There will be an individual care plan tailored specifically to the persons care needs.

Thinking of Home Care for yourself or a loved one?

If you are in the position where you think home care may be the next step for yourself or a loved one then do not hesitiate to contact us and speak to our deadicated team.

We have a deadicated team of specailists who are able to advise you on your the next steps.