We often speak with families who have assumed that a paid carer will assist with limited tasks, such as personal care or medication reminders, not realising that compassionate care is about helping with any everyday tasks that will make a difference to the comfort, happiness and quality of life of the person they are there to support.
This seemed an opportune time to revisit the evolution of home care services in the UK, and to touch on some of the many aspects of home care that care recipients haven’t expected or haven’t realised are possible.
How Has Modern At-Home Care Changed Over the Years?
While experiences of care will, of course, differ between families, the general assumption is that home care means having a care professional visit your home for a short time, perhaps up to an hour, to tick off specific predefined tasks before leaving.
In reality, home care providers offering exceptional standards of care can adjust to whatever works best for you and your family, whether you need to arrange home care for a few hours a week, for full days, as overnight care for a person living alone, or want to organise a live-in carer.
From the very beginning, relationship-focused care is tailored, ensuring we build friendships and trust, and remain flexible when care plans or arrangements need to be updated to keep up with changing needs. That could mean:
- Organising companionship care to combat loneliness, whether or not an individual also requires more practical care support.
- Creating clear routines with a small number of home carers you know and who, importantly, know your preferences, hobbies, likes and dislikes.
- Changing care as required, perhaps increasing hours, organising respite care when family members are away, or switching from visiting to specialist dementia care when a loved one’s cognition begins to decline.
Modern home care is based on the well-being and independence of the person. It is structured to ensure that older adults and people with medical conditions and disabilities have the right to autonomy and remain active and involved members of their communities.
What Are the Care Standards and Qualifications Families Should Look For?
Regardless of whether you are arranging your own care or are receiving assistance from your local council, all care providers must be fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Individual carers must also hold minimum training and formal qualifications.
Families looking for at-home care assistance can compare providers on the CQC website to check their latest inspection results, verify the level of experience of their carers to see whether this is sufficient, and check independent feedback from other service users.
This access to information has made the complexity of care decisions much easier than ever before, and enables anybody to:
- Look at how a home care business is rated by the regulator, on a scale from Inadequate to Outstanding.
- Contrast the costs and availability of specialist at-home care support, such as respite, dementia, rehabilitation, home from hospital and palliative care.
- Search for authentic opinions of other local people who have used a care provider, using directories like HomeCare.co.uk, which offers full reviews and at-a-glance rating scores.
Greater transparency is undoubtedly beneficial and ensures that those hoping to arrange home care have a wealth of information before they appoint a provider or organise round-the-clock support for a loved one.
What Does Person-Centred Home Care Look Like?
Home care is increasingly seen as a viable alternative to residential care, marking another major shift in the care sector. This is owing to the high standards of assistance that care recipients receive in their own homes and greater awareness of the range of care solutions available.
Staying independent at home is now a possibility for almost all families, as demonstrated by reports that show the number of people choosing community-based and home care has risen by 45%.
The families we support at Guardian Angel Carers can anticipate:
- Consistent care visits and care professionals, ensuring continuity.
- Transparency and a firm emphasis on safety, dignity, respect and clear communication with both care recipients, other professionals and family members.
- Ongoing connections to the community, with carers actively supporting people with shopping visits, social gatherings, clubs, hobbies and local events.
- The flexibility to adapt care in any way that will add value, with no one-size-fits-all approach.
Carers remain skilled professionals with extensive training, but are also appointed based on their character and warmth, recognising the importance of balancing tasks such as preparing meals with the need for a friendly, relaxed feel that puts care recipients at ease.
What Has Had the Biggest Impact on UK At-Home Care Services?
It’s difficult to pin down one particular change in attitudes, standards, and access to information, but if we had to, we’d say the most significant shift is in how people are involved in their own care arrangements.
Our care managers and coordinators expect to sit down for an in-person chat with anyone in need of care, ensuring we know first-hand what the best possible care looks and feels like to them, rather than outsourcing communications to family members or providing basic care support that isn’t truly personalised.
We believe that home care is all about protecting and promoting independence, ensuring the families we support have control over how and when care is delivered, and that care recipients feel comfortable requesting changes or vocalising their preferences to ensure these are accommodated.
More information about home care services, the specialist care we’ve touched on, and our core values is available via the Guardian Angel Carers website, and prospective care clients are always welcome to get in touch with our National Office or any of our locations should we be able to help.