Monday, August 13, 2012

Providing Support and Independence with Live In Care

By Victor Haywood


Live in care is an alternative to residential care that takes a more personal approach to full time caring. Patients will be able to stay at their homes in familiar and relaxed surroundings, which will help develop a level of independence that would almost impossible at a care home. The one-on one support offered by live-in care is also incredibly beneficial, as the carer will eventually come to feel like more of a friend or family member than an employee.

A carer will be able to manage all of a patients complex personal needs, with carers and patients matched not only by the carers qualifications but by personalities and ages. With a carer being a similar age to their patient they will share many interests and be able to socialise with each other so the partnership will feel more like a friendship or the bond shared between siblings.

Live in care is a job that requires incredibly thorough training, as these carers will effectively have lives in their hands. They will be trained in order to take care of all their patients specific needs, be this medication or helping with basic motor functions. Younger patients will also be given the metaphorical keys to a more active and fulfilling social life thanks to the emotional support and companionship offered by their carer who will help them make steps into potentially interacting with the wider community.

Putting the right carer with the right patient is a very considered task. At first patients and their families will work with live in care specialists to draw up a 'support plan' that will be used to help asses their situation and find the best carer for the job. Support plans are thorough examinations of a patient's current situation and will involve everything from bedtimes and mealtime preferences to in depth medical information on their condition. There will also be lists of practical and emotional goals that a carer will be able to help their patient achieve.

Regardless of age, if you or your loved one are in need of support that you yourself cannot possibly provide then live in care is by far the most sensible option. This will after all be one of the most important relationships they will ever have so it should also be made clear that during the 'partnering' process, the patients full profile will be available for potential carers to study and a thorough interview will also be set up to make sure the match is just right.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment