Preparing for Care at Home

Many people put a lot of thought into their home care provider, but preparing to receive home care often falls by the wayside in the run-up. In this article, we cover how to choose a home care service, why care plans are important, and how you can prepare your home and yourself to receive private care at home.

 

What’s Involved in Home Care?

Home care is a care service provided by professional carers in the comfort of your own home. In return for a fee, they will support you to live as independently as possible by fulfilling your personal needs and ensuring your happiness and wellbeing.

Care in the Comfort of Your Own Home

Home care encompasses a range of care services at home and could involve helping you with tasks such as washing, dressing, cooking, shopping, and even getting out and about. Private carers are trained to manage your medication needs.

Determining Your Unique Needs

Your needs are as unique as you are, which is why it’s important to understand exactly what support you’ll need. Private care at home will look different depending on whether you need help with personal hygiene or just managing around the house, for example.

Deciding on the Type of Home Care

There are various levels and types of home care to choose from, each suited to different needs and preferences. You can combine any level and type, from overnight rehabilitation care to respite care at home, tailoring your plan to your unique lifestyle.

Levels:

Emergency	Spontaneous support following a sudden change in circumstances
Respite	Temporary support that enables your regular caregiver to take a break
Overnight	Care from dusk until dawn to help manage nightly challenges
Private	Scheduled day visits where carers attend to your needs
Live-in	Round-the-clock private care at home from a constant companion

Types:

Home	Various care services at home, including domiciliary and personal care
Domiciliary	Help with household tasks and day-to-day chores
Personal	Support with daily living activities and personal hygiene
Dementia	Care is designed to evolve as dementia progresses and needs change
Complex	Specialist care at home for those experiencing a variety of difficulties
Rehabilitation	Aiding recovery from an accident, surgery or life-changing illness
Disability	Ensuring the wellbeing of people with disabilities
Palliative	Curative care to manage symptoms and improve quality of life
Hospice	End-of-life care at home for the elderly or terminally ill

 

What is a Home Care Plan?

A personalised home care plan outlines the support you will receive and considers all your specific needs and preferences, right down to how you like your tea. Your bespoke care plan will include the level, type and frequency of support that best suits your needs.

The Importance of Care Plans

Before private carers come to your home, they need to know how and when they’ll be helping you. Whether a carer visits a few times a week or provides round-the-clock private nursing care at home, a clear care plan ensures continuity and quality of care.

Designing Your Care Plan

Your chosen home care provider will work with you and your loved ones to develop a personalised care plan. They should guide you through the entire process, listen to your thoughts and design a care plan that you understand and feel comfortable with.

Creating Your Home Care Plan

Finally, when you’re satisfied, you’ll approve what is in your home care plan and care at home will commence. Regular reviews of your plan can also be arranged to adjust your level and type of care as your needs change.

 

How Do I Prepare My Home for Care?

Preparing your home for care may involve organising important information or setting up certain devices to help with safety and accessibility. This might sound counterintuitive, since the point of arranging private care at home is to receive support in the place where you feel most comfortable. But planning like this will make the transition easier, help carers do their jobs and enable you to continue living in the home you love for as long as possible, safely.

Modifying Your Home

When preparing your home for carers, you may wish to consider making some long-term adjustments, especially if you experience issues with mobility or dexterity. These can include:

• Handrails for the bathroom and any steps
• Non-slip mats for tiled floors, like the bathroom and kitchen
• An alarm cord in the bathroom, so you can let someone know if you’re in trouble
• A key safe to give your carer easy access while keeping your home secure
• A stairlift if your home has multiple floors

Your carer can make other ad hoc adjustments, such as labelling your kitchen cupboards and putting important files somewhere easy to find. They should always consult you before altering or organising your home in any way.

Organising Your Home

So that your carers are in the best possible position to meet your needs and liaise with your family and any healthcare professionals, it’s essential to gather your personal and medical information ahead of time. This can include:

• Your preferred methods for household tasks (e.g. cooking, cleaning, laundry)
• Medical conditions (e.g. diagnoses, allergies and any chronic conditions)
• Medication and dosage details
• Legal documents related to your wellbeing (e.g. Power of Attorney)
• A confidentiality agreement specifying who carers can discuss your care with
• Contact details of relevant healthcare professionals or community services
• Specific instructions for an emergency (e.g. which hospital to use)

Communicating with Loved Ones

Home care can be a difficult subject to broach with family and friends, who may struggle to accept that it’s time for some extra help. But it’s important that everyone involved understands all the available options.

When arranging private nursing care at home for yourself, focus on the advantages it offers and the daily difference it would make. Depending on the home care service that suits you, you could benefit from companionship as well as assistance with maintaining your health, hygiene and home.

When arranging private nursing care at home for a loved one, be open and honest about the fact that you would have greater peace of mind if they accepted some outside support. Knowing they have a fully trained professional on hand could make a world of difference to your lives.

 

How Do I Prepare Myself for Home Care?

Arranging private care at home is a hard decision, and one that may weigh on your mind. As well as preparing your physical environment to receive home care, you should ready yourself for this positive transition, so that it’s not a shock to the system when the time comes.

Reflect on Your Emotions

Letting a carer into your private space is a very personal decision and may trigger some unexpected emotions. Even if you’re fully in favour, the thought of strangers in your home may make you feel scared, insecure, sad or frustrated. Sitting with these emotions and observing them without judgment can help put your mind at ease and even deepen your understanding of yourself. A quiet space and a few hours to reflect can work wonders.

Talk to Your Loved Ones

A worry shared is a worry halved. If you’re feeling uncertain about your upcoming care at home, it’s worth talking to family and friends. Speaking to those who love and know you best is a good way to reassure yourself of your decision and your right to quality care at home.

Learn Your Home Care Plan and Visit Schedule

Once you’ve had an initial care assessment and ironed out what is in your bespoke home care plan, familiarising yourself with your appointed carers and visit schedule can help you mentally prepare. Knowing who’s coming and when should calm any beginner nerves.

 

How Can Blossom Help Me Prepare for Care at Home?

Blossom Home Care has cared for clients in their own homes for over a decade. We offer a true alternative to a residential care home through our award-winning home care services and our six key approaches to providing bloomin’ good care:

More Time to Care   With 50-minute minimum visits & set visit times, we arrive on time to deliver our bespoke care plans. Day in & Day out, we are a service you can rely on.	Home Care App   Our industry-leading Blossom Home Care app offers full transparency about your care at home, giving complete peace of mind.	Promoting Independence   We empower you to continue doing everything you love: hobbies, social activities and days out.
Holistic Caring   Blossom Home Care strives to have a positive impact on every aspect of your wellbeing.	Bespoke Care Plans   Our clients have sight of every aspect of their unique care plan, which is closely tailored to their needs.	Treating Carers Properly   With fair pay, engaging routines and expert training, we look after our carers so they can look after you.

Choose the Right Home Care Provider

When researching care at home, there are a few common green flags to look for. The very best home care providers, like Blossom Home Care, are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure they meet national standards of care. Carers should be fully trained as well as compassionate and respectful, and care plans should be tailored to each client. As experts in quality care, Blossom Home Care ticks all these boxes and many more.

Holistic Focus on Your Wellbeing

Our holistic approach is designed to benefit your mind, body and soul. Even before your care plan commences, Blossom Home Care is on hand to fill in the blanks and soothe any worries. When you walk with us, you walk with a trusted friend.

Readying the Home You Love

Depending on the level and type of care at home you choose, Blossom Home Care can help you prepare for the arrival of your new carers. Whatever you need to get ready, we’re just a phone call away.

 

Preparing for Home Care FAQs

How much time do I have to prepare?
If your home needs to be prepared to facilitate your care, based on your unique needs and preferences at the Blossom Home Care assessment, we will refer to a Community Occupational Therapist (usually via the Local Authority) for help and advice before suggesting any adjustments to your living space. How long this is likely to take would usually be advised by them at the visit and whatever is required is usually coordinated by them.

Will the same carer visit each time?
Continuity of care at home is central to our focus on comfort and independence. We know how disconcerting it is to have new faces in your private space, which is why we strive to select a few home carers who will form a friendly bond with you and your loved ones.