bupa.co.ukWe all need a helping hand sometimes. Perhaps you're recovering from an illness, and shopping and cleaning are getting harder to manage on your own. Maybe your regular carer needs a break? As a couple, you might both be finding it harder to manage. Or perhaps one of you is struggling to care for the other as well as you'd like to. Home care can provide the support you need.
We have provided below some useful information including:
The most common services are:
Help is available from many sources, including:
They will make an assessment of your needs, and produce a report called a care plan. It is important to be honest about your needs so that they can offer the best help they can.
If you are assessed as needing assistance, the local authority has a legal duty to provide you with appropriate care at home, although the levels of care and any charges may vary from area to area.
They may also be able to suggest other organisations who can help if the local authority cannot, or you do not want them to. They will also advise you about any benefits to which you may be entitled. Many people are hesitant about applying for benefits, but for example Attendance Allowance does not depend on your income or savings, and can be extremely useful to you and your carers.
The relationship with a home carer can be a very close one, so it's important you feel comfortable with them. If you are funding the care yourself you will have more choice than through the local authority, but it's important to use a reputable agency that vets its staff. You should ask an agency:
The cost will vary depending on the nature and amount of care you require, and the area you live in. Even if you need a lot of care at home, it may enable you to remain living independently in your own home. You may be eligible for benefits which could help with some of the costs. However, if you do require a great deal of care, it may be available less expensively in a residential or nursing home.For more information about paying for care, select the link below.
Most people providing care are not professionals. They are ordinary people looking after parents, husbands or wives, relatives or friends. Carers may sometimes need practical help or advice, or just a break. With a little extra help at home you may be able to provide even better care, and look after yourself as well.
There are organisations that can help. Your local Social Services department will carry out a carer's assessment. Carers UK (0808 808 7777) and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers (0207 480 7788) can offer advice, information and moral support.
Respite care, where the person needing care spends a week or two in a care home so that their carer can have a short break, may be available through Social Services. Independent care homes also offer respite care, including Bupa care homes.
To find out if a Bupa care home you are interested in accommodates respite care, please contact the care home manager.