This article asks: what's included in domestic care services? Read more about who is domiciliary care for and when you should consider help at home from a paid carer.

What Is Personal Care?

Personal care is a support system provided to the elderly that promises supervision and thorough homecare at an affordable domiciliary care cost, with the assistance of daily personal living tasks, including private hygiene, dressing, toileting, and maintaining one's appearance.

Many carers and home care providers aim to get to know their patients as people, to carefully curate care plans tailored to their likes and dislikes, the beauty products they enjoy and the methods of hygiene they opt for, such as whether they prefer showers or baths.

In the initial plan, they will outline shaving, foot care, haircuts with professionals, and other particular tasks. All trained nurses and carers are skilled at providing highly personalised care in the most respectful, delicate and discreet way possible that respects your boundaries.

It is their duty to ensure you and your loved ones keep your independence and dignity, so they will discuss your requirements and never overstep.

Who is domiciliary care for?

With domiciliary care workers, you and your loved ones may stay inside their homes, where they feel most at peace and comfortable. It may become difficult for them to follow through with their every day or weekly routine and therefore require support whilst living in familiar surroundings. 

District nurses and fully trained carers can offer regular home visits that could span from 30 minutes long to several hours, as it can vary depending on the level of support the patient's nursing care needs.

Companionship carers will help you or your loved ones with the following:

When should I consider help at home from a paid carer?

It may be challenging to pluck up the courage to ask for help from a paid carer or district nurse in your local area, and it can be even more so challenging knowing when you require their assistance to make life easier.

You may want to contact professionals to schedule care at home or for further information if you relate to the following:

1. It has become difficult to complete aspects of your daily routines, for example, washing and dressing or getting out of the house, as you have limited mobility.
2. You are opposed to the idea of moving into a residential care home and leaving your safe space.
3. You can still move about your home, and it is still safe for you to live in; for example, there aren't piles of clothes, boxes or belongings everywhere that you struggle to put away or mechanisms or structures that no longer work.

Housekeeping & domestic care services

Professional nurses, care workers, and housekeepers must help you or your loved ones with basic day-to-day tasks that they may now struggle with. It is also an opportunity for loved ones to take on less work, leaving you free to do as you please and a little more relaxed when visiting sick or elderly families.

You can benefit from a whole host of housekeeping and domiciliary care services, such as the following:

1. They'll provide food and drink preparation.
2. Carers can complete essential toiletry and food shopping.
3. Staff will complete general tidying and other essential household duties, including washing up, laundry and ironing.
4. Care assistants also provide cleaning, vacuuming, dusting and polishing alongside other light household duties.

Any homecare agency and care homes that provide this level of support understand that it must be flexible to meet the needs of you or your family members' preferences and personal needs. Staff and carers will do the most to assist with ad hoc tasks and household chores to provide you relief, especially if you or your loved one has issues walking or getting around their home. 

Live-in support

If you or a close family member requires support and care throughout their daily life, we highly recommend seeking a live-in care assistant nurse who can look after them as often as possible. A live-in carer is a DBS-checked individual that can live with you or your loved one and offer on-hand support whenever needed.

Staff onboard will go to extreme lengths to ensure you get put with the proper care assistant with the skills and knowledge to suit your needs. They'll find out all the patients' specific hobbies and preferences to carefully match you with the right person you or your loved one needs for both a carer and companion.

Professionals will check in to ensure that you or your loved one is happy with their services. 

What Are Home Care Services Available?

For those searching for home care services, you'll find that what is available will typically depend on the health assessment your local council's social services department carries out on your behalf.

The Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland tends to carry out these tests for those living in its region. It is often referred to as a package of care, and professionals will ensure it is written thoroughly into your personal care plan.

How to arrange long-term care at home

Suppose you are arranging and paying for long-term care at home yourself; in this case, we'd still advise you to have a thorough assessment.

Assessing your health and physicality will allow you and your immediate family members to establish the style of care and support you require to keep yourself in the best possible condition throughout your potential illness and make you aware of the available care.

Once your level of care has been established with a professional assessment, you'll also need to have a financial assessment. The financial assessment is what helps determine how you will pay for your quality care commission. 

You and your family can opt to pay for you to receive care, or you may be entitled to contributions from the local council if you fit the criteria.

For those whose local council or health and social care system agrees to partially or fully fund the care services you receive for however long, you'll often be given the choice of either having the local council provide you with these services directly.

Or alternatively, you can arrange these support and care services independently after receiving direct payments from your local authority. 

Funding your own care at home – other things to think about 

You can opt to fund your own homecare inside your household; however, you must remember that there are a few options you can choose from. The following include:

An immediate in the family requires an annuity. This is often available from some insurance companies that ensure personal independence payments of care fees are offered at a specific rate or given level for as long as your family needs. The exchange includes a one-off lump sum of monetary payment.

Another option you may want to consider is downsizing your household and moving to a smaller home, such as a bungalow. That way, you'll still be cosy and comfortable in a space that's entirely your own and also benefit from reducing the funds of your overall care. All the benefits can sometimes even include a disability living allowance that will help you pay for apparatus to help you become more mobile.

Finally, you can select from appropriate equity release schemes. An equity release is often referred to as a specific set of products that allow you access to a particular amount of cash stored inside or for your home once you reach elderly age. Your children, spouse or insurance policies may set these up for you when you acquire a home or perhaps years later. Once you have decided to take the money released, you can do so in small amounts, as a lump sum or a combination of the two.

For more information about our specialist home care service in London contact us to find out more about our homecare assistance.

Domestic Care Services London