Home Care Service

 

Care at home is a very personal requirement and as such varies considerably – from companionship and providing help with domestic duties to intensive personal care assisting individuals with specific needs such as dementia, Parkinson’s and rehabilitation from hospital.

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Personalised Care

A Heritage Carer will have similar goals to a companion but will have a larger focus on helping the client maintain independence, dignity and respect. Activities could include:

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• Assistance with getting up and going to bed

• General mobility assistance

• Help with personal hygiene and getting dressed

• Reminders to take necessary medication

• Sympathetic encouragement and assistance with eating and drinking

• Maintaining sufficient fluid intake

• Reinforcing daily physiotherapy routines

• Maintaining dignity with respect to continence care

• Maintenance of personal appearance – help to style hair or visits to the hairdresser, help to apply make up, shaving, visits to or from a manicurist, help with choosing clothes etc.

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Specialised Personal Care

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A carer giving specialist support will either have had many years of experience (for example dealing with family members) combined with suitable training or have nursing qualifications.

These carers will understand the difficulties and unpredictability and stressful nature of conditions such as dementia, stroke and Parkinson’s and are aware of the emotional turmoil they can create. Typical conditions include:

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• Dementia – providing consistency of routine in familiar surroundings

• Parkinson’s – help adapting to new routines

• Mental Health – cultivating boundaries and routine and providing emotional support

• Learning Disabilities (for both adults and children)

• Special Needs (e.g. Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome)

• Convalescence – adjusting to new challenges and new health and safety hazards

• Rehabilitation – endeavouring to reinforce daily rehabilitation (e.g. physiotherapy) routines

• Palliative – increasing comfort and promoting dignity

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Companionship and Housekeeping

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A Heritage Companion will help stimulate conversation, create new experiences and reduce the burden of domestic duties – generally enriching the client’s quality of life. Activities could include:

 

• Light domestic support such as cleaning, laundry, care of pets and light gardening duties
• Preparing meals and sharing favourite recipes

• Assisting clients to entertain friends and family; for example carers with bake a cake for an afternoon tea or bridge party, or cook Sunday lunch for a family visit

• Facilitating short trips out - perhaps a drive in the car on a sunny day, or a trip to a garden centre for a cup of a coffee

• Shared enjoyment of common interests and hobbies
• Arranging necessary appointments and assistance with correspondence, paperwork

and new technology

• Help clients to keep in touch with family or friends abroad by activating a Skype chat for them every week 

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