Care and Supported Living Advice

A live-in carer lives with you, in your home and has two main roles. Firstly, to look after you and secondly to help look after your home. A carer will normally stay for between two and four weeks and then hand-over to new carer. Many carers return to the same clients providing continuity of care and a familiar, friendly face.

Having someone you do not know suddenly live in your house is very strange for the first few days. However, things usually settle into a routine and clients and carers get to know and trust each other quickly. Most people find that the benefits and re-assurance of having a live-in carer improve their lives significantly.

With so much initial change it is easy to forget that it's all new for the carer too. When a carer starts a new placement, they need to get to know you, your family, your house, your routine and the local area. If client and carer help each other settle into the new routine, it makes a big difference.

One of the luxuries of live-in care is having all your meals prepared for you. Your carer will prepare all your meals and will adapt their cooking to any dietary requirements you may have, and wherever possible strive to prepare meals that you enjoy and that are nutritious. As well as preparing breakfast, lunch and supper carers will also prepare snacks and drinks during the day depending on your habits and likes.

Remember carers aren't caterers though and although they will usually be happy to cook extra portions if you have friends or family staying, they should not be expected to cook for extra people on a regular basis or to dinner party standards!

If you have a lot of people staying, maybe over holidays such as Christmas, it's a good idea to ask everyone to help out with preparing meals and clearing away so your carers workload is not over-stretched.

A carer will also usually eat their meals with you, and they are not expected to pay for their own meals unless they have very specific dietary requirements.

Part of a live-in carer's role is to keep your house clean and tidy. This includes light household duties such as clearing up after meals, washing up, dusting, vacuuming, making beds, laundry washing and ironing. However, they are not professional cleaners so please do not ask them to do major jobs such as spring-cleans, clean carpets etc.

A carer will, if required, do the grocery shopping. Clients usually provide a 'housekeeping float' for this and records are kept in the “At Home Care” logbook with receipts filed in the contact book.

All a carer's general shopping will be included on the client's shopping and at the client's cost i.e. food, cleaning products etc. Any individual luxury items that a carer requires will be at the carer's cost. If it is difficult for a carer to do the shopping, perhaps if a client cannot be left on their own/or be taken shopping, then a good alternative is to order the grocery shopping online which can be done at all major retailers i.e. Tesco, Waitrose etc.

Each client is assigned a carer based on his or her personal care needs. This can range from just wanting someone around for general help and companionship to needing assistance with mobility, dressing, washing, going to the loo, getting up in the morning and going to bed in the evening.

Carers can help clients remember when to take any medication. Under current guidelines carers' can only prompt and remind to take medication. Please never ask a carer to administer medication. Although some carers may have nursing backgrounds a carer can never act as a qualified nurse. Current good practice also states that care assistants should not be asked to fill a client's dossette box. If the client is unable to do so a pharmacist, GP or family member should carry out the task.

If you have a fall the first thing a carer will do is check for any signs of injury. If you are injured or you cannot get up without assistance, the carer will always call the paramedics. Carers can never lift you as they must not put you or themselves at risk of injury.

None of us function well if we don't get a good nights sleep. Carers need 8 hours uninterrupted sleep at night. However, a carer will expect there to be the odd occasion when a client needs to get them up at night - this is part of the job and there is no additional charge for this.

However, if a carer needs to regularly get up at night (i.e. more than 3 x a week) they will be entitled to charge £9 per night call (up to a maximum of £18 per night). The night call charge can also apply for occasional night calls that last longer than 15 minutes. If a client needs assistance several times during the night, every night, then an additional night carer should be considered.

Each carer that you have will stay with you for a pre-agreed number of weeks and then swap over with a replacement carer. Normally there will be a handover period of a couple of hours when both carers will be at your home ensuring the new carer is fully up to speed with your routine.

Sometimes overnight handovers are arranged where the in-coming carer overlaps with the current carer over a full evening (where spare bedrooms are available). These give the client a chance to get to know a new carer before their current carer leaves, they also allow for a full and detailed hand-over and avoid any problems with public transport travel delays carers may experience. There are no additional costs for overnight handovers.

Carers will liaise with each other and with the homecare office to make all handovers as smooth as possible. Carers and clients often develop good relationships and clients often ask to have the same carers return and we will always be happy to try and arrange this is you let us know.

A carer will need a warm, comfortable bedroom in your home. This is not just a place for them to sleep but also a bit of private space to relax in during their time off. A carer's room will need a bed, chest of draws, comfortable chair and heating.

Yes. It is important for a carer to have a break during the day to ensure that they can do their job to the best of their ability without getting too tired. Every live-in carer should have two hours off a day at a mutually convenient time and in daylight hours (please remember that doing the shopping or running errands do not qualify as time off). Most clients are happy to be left during this period but if not, or if there is a high level of risk in leaving them, then additional cover may need to be arranged with either a family member or a local domiciliary care agency to cover the 2 hours.

Supported Living

• The care young people and adults receive is personalised and centred around their needs.
• People have a tenancy agreement, which means their home is more secure as they are protected by law.
• Often there is more integration with the rest of the community and people have more choice about where they live and who they live with (if anyone). People have more personal space too.
• Greater rights, for example, and choice about their support staff. They can choose who enters their home and they can choose how they decorate their home.
• Entitled to different benefits, which will give more disposable income.

Residential Care

• More standardised level of care.
• The individual is a patient or client of the care home.
• Sometimes located on campuses away from the rest of the community, with less personal space.

Of course, although rented it will be the individual’s home. They may decorate it to their personal taste and furnish as with any personal items. In addition, any equipment required and/or minor adaptations (for example, stair rails) to help the individual stay safe and independent and improve their quality of life are encouraged.

Individuals may purchase the equipment from their personal budget. Alternatively, they may choose to receive a direct payment which can be used towards purchasing the equipment required, as long as it meets the individual’s community care eligible needs (as assessed by their local authority). All equipment will need to be tested or agreed to ensure safety to clients and fire regulations.

Different types of equipment such as walking frames and stair lifts are called assistive technology because they help individuals to be independent. One type of assistive technology is telecare.

Telecare devices range from those that require the user to press a button – this action raises an alert at a remote centre – to systems that monitor a person’s wellbeing and/or environment. The equipment can help detect falls, inactivity, smoke, flooding, carbon monoxide or extreme temperatures in the home.

Assistive technology is part of a range of support services that may be obtained by the individual and incorporated into their home following assessment.

Unlike a residential home, supported living provides the people who live there with individual tenancies. This means that they have a home of their own and will benefit from a greater level of autonomy as far as their environment is concerned.

The staff team will support them and will create the kind of living environment that best meets their needs as far as design, lighting, and ambiance are concerned. People in supported living are encouraged to maximise their independence and to engage in the activities internally and externally they enjoy. If they have particular wishes or needs, the staff will support them towards achieving their goals.

Supported living is a very much more flexible option than a residential home. It is suitable for people with a range of different needs including help with communicating, managing challenging behaviours and developing social friendships and budgeting everyday life.

Since each tenant is an individual, the support will be tailored specifically to their needs, including positive behavioural support (PBS) where appropriate, in ensuring a calmer, more positive living environment. If a person’s needs are such that staff require additional training, this will be carried out so that their needs can be met.

Each individual’s care plan will be designed with the aim of making a positive difference to their daily life, and wherever possible, they and their family and friends will be aware of the goals they are working towards, as will any professionals involved in their care.

Having a tenancy of their own gives individuals the opportunity to gain independence but still benefit from the support of skilled knowledgeable staff whenever this is needed. It is particularly helpful for people with learning disabilities who may need a little extra help in some areas of their lives whilst maintaining a high level of independence in others.