A little help from my friends
OME 6.5 MILLION people in the UK look after someone at home who is older, disabled or seriously ill, says Carers UK. Local councils and medics such as the GP can assess the person you are caring for, to decide not only on the healthcare needed, but what support your financial situation will allow.
Nicola Otake at Hartwig Care says: “Care workers carry out tasks such as personal care, household duties, assistance with medication, respite, specialist care and companionship.”
“Pop-in” care is at the lower end of the scale of Hartwig’s provisions and gives help with tasks such as getting washed and dressed. A care worker may visit in the morning to assist with getting out of bed, taking medication and making breakfast. But for some people, round-the-clock assistance is needed, with help from a live-in carer.
Hartwig Care also offers night-time services — a carer sleeps in the client’s ho home, t o provide ass assistance when needed ed. This is different to th the “waking night” pa package, which sees t h e c a r e worker re remain awake all night to monitor the cl client’s health.
For those with mobility issues, two care workers can assist with moving and handling. If a c client is bedridden, they may be able to move around with the aid of a hoist. Carers visit two or three times a day and use the hoist to transfer a client from bed to the bathroom, or to the lounge and then later back to bed. It is even possible to be hoisted into the kitchen to prepare food. This may seem extreme, but it makes home care more viable and vastly improves quality of life.
If a person suffers from a stroke or dementia or if end-of-life care is necessary, remaining at home is still possible, with specialist carers, says Hartwig. For long-term care, respite and specialist services may be necessary. A care worker could stay with the client for a few hours, or even for a couple of days, to give the main carer a break.
John Taylor, operational care manager at Promedica24, points out that, as well as being more affordable than residential care, live-in care “allows people to stay in familiar surroundings, potter in the garden and see the neighbours. Your carer cooks the meals you have always enjoyed and supports you to go to the clubs you like.
“AgeUK has done a lot of research into loneliness. You can still be lonely in a care home, where getting one-toone attention is not easy and you may also lose contact with family members. You have to get up at a certain time, have meals at certain times. My nan is 96 and in a care home. When I was a child, I used to play in her garden. Now when I take her great-grandchildren to see her, there’s nowhere for them to play, so she is denied the pleasure of seeing them running about. Also, when you’re not in your own home, it limits the topics of conversation. If someone lives at home, there are always things to talk about — so-and-so popped in, or haven’t the flowers grown?”
Promedica24 is a European care company that has just launched its live-in care service in the UK with three fixed-price care packages.
Care UK represents more than six and a half million domiciliary carers. A spokesman says: “Enabling people to remain at home helps them maintain personal independence, comfort and contact with their local community. Homecare is flexible, with just the right amount of assistance given at any one time. You or your family can fund your own care, without state assistance, and use a local homecare agency privately to provide care, or add to the care the council provides.” Care UK advises those considering home care to speak to agencies in the area, ask for a brochure and price list, then draw up the best possible care plan.