Realising that a loved one requires care is a significant step for many people, especially if they have never needed much help in the past. This tends to be particularly significant if the person in question is an ageing parent because it often involves something of a role reversal with the adult child assuming parent-like responsibilities. That said, the same can be said of an elderly aunt, uncle or even more distant relative. Equally, there is nothing to say that your spouse or your adult child won’t require some form of professional care at some point. If so, what do you need to consider? Read on to find out more.
Can You Cope With Offering Care Yourself?
For many people, the first thing they will do when they realise that someone they love requires care is to start providing it themselves. This is often because care needs start off as quite small. However, this doesn’t mean they won’t become more onerous as time passes on, of course. When you know the person you are caring for quite well, offering the care that is needed can be very satisfying but it is also worth weighing up how sustainable this will be in the longer term. Perhaps you have children to look after, too? Maybe your job will mean you are not always on hand to deliver the care when it is needed? It could be that you will make yourself ill if you tire yourself out with care chores, so ask yourself where that would leave you and your loved one. Remember that seeking professional help is not an admission of failure. Indeed, it could be the best way of making the care you offer personally more sustainable, not less.
Is There a Case For In-Home Care Services?
Although many people’s idea of professional care provision means a nursing or convalescence home, this is not really the case in the UK anymore. Why? Because large swathes of care recipients in the country receive the care they need from registered providers in their own homes nowadays. So-called domiciliary care means people can continue to live independently in the home they love without being forced into a more communal lifestyle. Consider this option before making any drastic changes which might involve selling the family home to be able to offer a place in a nursing home. Many families find that it isn’t just more affordable but that it also means finding a better compromise between care needs and independence.
Do You Need a Break From Delivering Care?
According to Anglian Care, an Essex home care service provider, some people think they are on a treadmill delivering care to an elderly relative or a spouse who has a condition like dementia, for example. Helpfully, respite care can be booked which means you can still be the main carer for your loved one but receive support when you need it. Respite care offers exactly that – a break or respite from your usual duties. Many people use it to go on a holiday or to visit friends. That said, respite care can be just as useful if you fall ill, have a change in personal circumstances or simply need to recharge your batteries.
How Will You Know Carers Have Carried Out Their Duties?
One thing that tends to worry family members who book professional care services for their loved ones is how they’ll know they have truly been cared for if they are not there to oversee the care delivery in person. Although that’s understandable, the care industry has numerous checks and safeguards to ensure care is delivered promptly and in accordance with agreed care plans. Look for service providers that can provide real-time updates of care tasks as they’re completed to your smartphone, for example. Nowadays, technology really helps to prevent worrying because it means care tasks are carried out transparently and with accountability, ensuring high standards are maintained at all times.
Is Funding Available?
If procuring the services of a top-quality care provider to offer professional care services in the home sounds expensive, then you may be surprised. Of course, care workers should be paid fairly for the work they do but this doesn’t mean it is unaffordable in many cases. Remember, too, that local authority funding for adult care services is possible after an initial care assessment has been made depending on the financial situation. Speak to the social services team at your loved one’s local authority to find out more about the funding they may be entitled to.
