Consider the benefits of HOME CARE for your family before you downsize

It’s important to explore the potential advantages of HOME CARE. Before downsizing to a smaller property or moving to another care facility consider if you could accommodate a live-in carer.

Home care; full or part-time, in your own home can give you time to adjust to changing needs and assess what care is needed and when.

It’s important to understand that moving into a care home and selling your home has financial implications.

Whilst being cared for at home, your home may be excluded from your capital limits calculation depending on your circumstances.

Patsy’s care journey

Watch the VIDEO below to hear Patsy share her experience by pressing the PLAY button

Patsy was a Nurse specialising in Elderly Care services in the NHS and her husband was a GP before they both retired. Even knowing the care system far better than most, Patsy took the traditional care route and says she would do things very differently if she had the chance again.

Consider the benefits of staying at home

Gardening — ‘‘I wish we had considered home
care sooner for Mum. It makes more sense than downsizing too soon.”

Kate - Devon

Choosing the right care: Home care or Care Homes

Home carers attend homes from as little as 1 hour at a time. They can help with most aspects of home help and care requirements on a daily basis. It is up to the client or their family and the carer to agree on the care requirements.

With Home Care, life can carry on as close to normal as possible - there’s no need to change anything about the way a person lives their life - they are able to remain close to family and friends, they don’t have to pick and choose which belongings to hold onto and there is no need to change anything about their schedule, other than to make arrangements, or allocate space for their carer if they are living in, and get ready to enjoy the company.

Client and carer matching considers a variety of factors such as individual needs, requirements, location, and hobbies. As an example, we aim to match keen cooks with keen foodies or football enthusiasts with sports enthusiasts and outdoorsy types with gardener types. This makes a great foundation for quality one-to-one relationships.

Care Homes

‘Care Home’ is a general term to describe residential care settings. They generally limit personal independence, and offer a much more fixed schedule, with set mealtimes and meals for example.

Both nursing homes and residential care homes provide care and support 24 hours a day with a variety of staff. Often care homes must use agency staff who move around to different care homes regularly.

You may find a loved one reluctant to consider a move into a care home due to the negative impressions a person may hold about these settings.

Access to loved ones can be restricted as we have seen in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A nursing home, sometimes referred to as a care home with nursing, is able to provide a higher level of 24-hour care, so nursing homes are usually more expensive (on average around £180 more per week) depending on the care needs of the individual. They often employ a combination of agency staff and permanent staff.

A residential care home mainly offers accommodation and personal care for people who need help with daily tasks, such as washing, dressing, or eating, but do not need nursing care. Residential homes are usually for older adults that may have a physical disability, a learning disability, mental health issues, or other care needs due to old age who are unable to live independently and manage their personal hygiene, medication, and toileting or mobility.

People living in care homes may have their own bedrooms and bathrooms, but also share communal areas such as lounges, dining rooms, gardens and so on with the other residents.

Care home staff provide meals, housekeeping services, and assistance with everyday needs such as dressing, mobility, personal hygiene, and so on. The amount of one-to-one care a person may receive varies greatly depending on their needs.

Some care homes take care of a wide range of residents with varying needs, so depending on your care requirements, this can sometimes become troubling for residents, particularly if they have low-level needs.

As some houses are not built to accommodate a live-in carer and some homes may not be in a suitable condition a residential care home may be the best option.

As well as financial benefits, there are wide reaching benefits to being cared for in your own home:

Very often within a couple, one person may take on the burden of care for their partner, often suffering in silence whilst it takes a toll on their own health.

A carer can help alleviate this burden and allow couples to enjoy the time they have living life together. In this situation, couples can be cared for together, rather than in different care settings if one, for example, has dementia needs. This is one of the biggest benefits of choosing to be cared for at home.

Another benefit is the avoidance of separation anxiety from a beloved pet. Separation from a pet can be a catalyst for dipping moral for many people facing an uncertain future in a different care setting.

Having a live-in carer at home can help alleviate low moral and give loved ones a compelling future and a reason to be positive each day.

Familiarity of surroundings are incredibly comforting, especially when signs of dementia, eye-sight deterioration or confusion begin to show. To be cared for in an environment you know, love and feel safe in becomes very important and when the time comes for an increased provision of care, the transition can be much less disruptive.

Continuing to have pride in the home through gardening helps to keep a person physically active and engaged and has been shown to improve wellbeing.

Staying at home with support allows loved ones to keep participating in hobbies such as baking or art or knitting clubs which can keep their social circles active.

The benefits of staying at home to lead a fuller life are different for each person, but few doubt the health and welfare benefits overall.