Carers are this nation’s backbone. They provide thousands of hours of care and support for elderly and disabled people for free that the government and Local Authorities would otherwise have to fund.
They provide personalised, loving care for their relatives and friends in their own homes and without Carers, many people’s lives would be far less manageable and bearable. But it is important for everyone to remember that Carers are people too – and people occasionally need help or a rest.
If a Carer was in paid employment, they would receive a living wage, and would not be expected to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. They would not be expected to work alone, providing support and care for another person all the time without having time to care for themselves. The fact is that many Carers can go for months without having the time to do something as simple as go for a haircut or a cup of tea in a café.
This is where respite care can be useful. For many Carers, the idea of having to ask for respite care (particularly for help in the form of respite care homes) is just not an option. They feel duty-bound to care for their loved ones and fear that if they were not there, their loved ones would not be looked after properly. No-one knows their loved ones like they do; no-one can care for them as effectively.
But therein lays a greater truth. For if you fear that your loved one cannot be cared for by anyone other than you… what happens if your health gives way because you burn out through overwork? It may feel immensely disloyal to even describe what you are doing as ‘work’, but if you are a Carer you need to remember that your loved one does rely on you – but if you make yourself ill by not taking a break every now and again, you’re not going to be around forever.
Respite care comes in many forms, from someone coming to look after your loved one for a few hours on one day per week, to let you do things like get the shopping done or get a haircut (or just have a nice long soak in the bath!), to allowing your loved one to enter a respite care home where their needs can be met 24 hours a day for a short period to let you recharge your batteries or go on holiday (or if you need treatment in hospital, for example).
Any of these services are available from a wide range of providers and as long as you are satisfied, from your research and from talking to the staff, that you can trust them to look after your loved one, you can relax in the knowledge that they are safe and cared for – whilst you look after yourself for a change.
Choosing a Residential Care Home: Some Considerations
If you have an elderly parent or spouse and are considering having to select a care home, perhaps because you are no longer physically or emotionally able to cope with their increasing level of need, then what factors should you bear in mind?
Residential care for the elderly is widely available – local authorities and private companies offer residential care homes to choose from that offer a range of facilities and on-site care. Of course, the issue of how much the care home costs should be irrelevant – you should be able to choose the right residential care home for your loved one that will meet their individual needs and be in the ideal location for you and their friends to visit. However, that’s not exactly realistic – of course cost comes into the equation. Unless you are extremely wealthy and don’t need to worry about money then you cannot always pick and choose your care home based solely on other factors.
There is a balance to be struck between finding the right level and kind of care and the cost of the residential care home. The sad fact is that if your loved one has worked hard all their life to build a nest egg or buy their own home, then they may not be entitled to any support with the cost of residential care homes from the Local Authority – and if they access Local Authority care then their assets will be gradually stripped to meet the cost of that care until all they are left with is around £24,000-worth of assets. That can mean having to sell your loved one’s home, which might have been theirs since they were very young.
Those assets will run out quicker if a more expensive care home is chosen. After the assets are gone, will you be able to afford to ‘top up’ whatever help the Local Authority offers towards the costs, to meet the fees of your preferred care home? The worst case scenario is perhaps having to move your loved one from one care home to a cheaper one after their assets have depleted simply because the family can no longer afford to pay the fees.
So when choosing a residential care home it is worth thinking about the long-term affordability of your preferred home. Also consider the location – will you and your loved one’s friends (some of whom may be frail or unable to travel far) be able to visit frequently? Check out waiting lists and see whether it is feasible to wait for a place to become available at your preferred residential care home.
Ask your preferred home whether they will allow your loved one to try living there for a short period to be sure that you are all making the right decision, and that the care home you are trying out is the right one for all of you.
Make your choice of care home based on a realistic knowledge of the short, medium and long term costs (to your loved one financially, and in terms of health and happiness).
Guidance on Choosing Residential Care Homes for Elderly People
Britain is lucky enough to have a population that can now be expected to live well into its eighties and even nineties. This is due to improved healthcare and support throughout life that helps us all to live for longer than ever before.
However, longevity often comes with frailty and difficulties in living independently. Since younger generations are, on the whole, in work there are few people who are able to offer care and support to elderly relatives to enable them to stay at home. Many people feel anxious and worried that their elderly relatives may be vulnerable at home, particularly if they are prone to falls or are limited in their mobility. Residential care for elderly people is available, though the focus from Local Authorities is increasingly towards supporting people to live independently for as long as possible - because that is a cheaper alternative to residential care homes. Despite this, demand for residential care home places is still growing and will continue to do so.
How do you go about deciding whether residential care is appropriate for your elderly loved one? Well, the first step is to have an assessment carried out by a Social Worker, who can look carefully at your loved one’s needs and what measures could be put in place to allow them to continue to live at home.
However, if you feel that despite any such measures being put in place (such as stair lifts, special baths and hoists etc.,) your loved one would not be safe, happy or fulfilled if left to live on their own, you can always choose to pay privately for a place at a residential care home for elderly people.
If you decide to do so, then you should firstly consider the geographical location of the home to ensure that not only you but your loved one’s friends (who may be elderly themselves and find it difficult to travel long distances) will be able to visit regularly. Consider local access – are there bus stops or a train station nearby that would enable easy visits by friends and wider family? Are there plenty of things to do in the nearby area, should your loved one want to get out and about occasionally?
What facilities does the care home offer? Will they meet all your loved one’s needs (not just medically, but socially – things like having regular visits by a hairdresser can make all the difference to their level of happiness). If your loved one is in declining mental health, does the care home offer nursing care, personal care, and what security measures are in place to ensure that your loved one is safe and their whereabouts known?
Check the care home’s inspection report prepared by the Care Quality Commission, but also visit the care home yourself, preferably on more than one occasion and at short notice so that you know how the care home runs normally. You should trust your instinct and judgement from looking around.
Do You Need Respite Care?
If you are a Carer, perhaps of someone elderly or disabled or ill, you will know just how stressful and tiring your role can be. Of course, it is extremely worthwhile and there are few Carers who would ever say that they regret taking on that role. But the role of a Carer can be a difficult and lonely one and for your own health you should recognise that you need a break every now and again.
Carers often work themselves until they are ill or exhausted. This, of course, impacts on the very person they have been trying their hardest to look after. If for no other reason than because you know that it is in the long-term interest of your loved one that you should be happy and healthy, you should give consideration to seeking out respite care for them.
Respite care can be in the form of an occasional day, where your loved one is cared for by someone else, or it can be in the form of a respite care home for short-term residential care. The short breaks offered by these services can help you, as Carer, to recharge your batteries and make it easier for you to care for your loved one for longer.
If you think that you and your loved one might benefit from respite care, carefully consider what you both need. How much respite care do you both need – what skills will the respite Carer need; how long will you want the care to be in place for? Do you need regular free time (say, two hours a week to do some shopping or have your hair cut) or is it more appropriate to have less frequent care but for longer (say, one weekend a month)? Work out what help you need and when.
If it’s informal respite you need, the sort of thing that can be arranged every now and again for short periods, you can probably rely on family or close friends. But many families struggle with this – the Carer may feel that other family members just don’t understand their loved one like they do, or that they won’t do a good enough job, or there may be some lurking bitterness that the other family members don’t do enough normally, making the Carer almost a martyr to the cause.
If family support is insufficient or inappropriate, consider getting some care services for your loved one in their own home. This can be through arranging a volunteer (from a charitable organisation or church) or a paid helper (or one arranged through Social Services) to provide companionship or practical help with meals and mobility in the Carer’s absence.
Or consider arranging for your loved one to visit an adult day centre (available during the week) which would provide much-needed socialisation, meals and care.
If you need something a little more long-term then look at local residential respite care homes which can be available for varying lengths of time. You’ll obviously want to make sure that the care home is suitable for your loved one, so do your research. Check each care home’s Care Quality Commission’s inspection report and visit the care home to be sure that it’s the sort of place that your loved one would feel comfortable.
Meet the staff and be sure that they take the time to listen to all that you tell them about your loved one’s needs and personality. Ask questions about the care home – how are the staff selected, trained and supervised? What services are available?
It is important that you know that your loved one will be cared for, safe and happy – otherwise the precious time you have to yourself will be taken up with worry about whether your loved one is all right.
Elderly Day Care Centres: Leave Your Elders in Safe Hands
There are a lot of the elderly people who are in need of specialized nursing care and attention that their families cannot personally give. Fortunately, there are institutions such as the elderly day care centres that are dedicated to giving them this kind of specialized care. But for those who are still having doubts about these kinds of nursing care facilities, you have come to the right place. Read on and get to know the benefits and the services offered by today's elderly nursing care centres.
One of the best things about most adult day care centres is that they are continually encouraging and promoting independence among their elderly patients. They usually offer activities that are catered especially to their patient's interests and hobbies. This way, their patients still have the freedom to do what they love to do in spite of being under professional medical care.
These activities can encourage them to be more physically active which can help prevent/delay the signs of aging to a certain degree. Aside from that, elderly nursing care centres also offer formal physical therapy and speech therapy sessions to help develop and improve their strength, range of motion and cognitive abilities.
Adult day care centres can assure you that your loved ones' dietary and medical needs are always catered to by professional medical personnel. Proper diet and nutrition are very important for elderlies and having someone to constantly watch over their needs and cater to their specific nutritional requirements will do them good. Apart from that, elderly nursing care centres have licensed medical professionals who can administer medications and monitor the progress of the treatment during their stay in the facility.
Compared to nursing homes and institutions, adult day care centres are much less expensive and more cost-effective. Most nursing care facilities accept health insurance coverage and Medicaid - although the cost may slightly vary from one institution to another. Most if not all of the elderly nursing care centres also offer door-to-door transportation services within a certain distance from the health care facility. Some adult day care centres can even accompany their patients to doctor's appointments in other medical facilities.
Lastly, adult day care centres are especially beneficial for elderlies that have chronic and progressive medical conditions. Once in the health facility, they will be placed under the watchful care of licensed medical professionals at all times. As mentioned earlier, medications can be administered by professional care givers and the progress of their medications and treatments can be monitored as well.
Once your loved one is enrolled to an elderly nursing care centre, he will be given a customized care plan that will be based on his or her current and past medical records. He will be closely monitored by licensed medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists and will be given all the necessary medical care. Most elderly day care centres will also work hand in hand with family members for proper implementation of health care and therapeutic techniques when they are not inside the facility. This way, they are given continuous and consistent treatment even when at home.