Help to live at home

As your circumstances change you may find that you are not able to manage in your home as well as you used to. There are many things you can do to make life easier, so that you can stay living in your own home for as long as possible and you may only need a small amount of support to enable you to do this. This could be with getting around, cleaning, preparing meals, feeling safe etc. We can offer practical support, information and advice to help you live the life you want.

Think about an ordinary day in your life and at what points during the day you need help.

How are you at:

  • handling personal hygiene, bathing, and dressing
  • preparing and eating meals
  • managing with toilet needs and continence
  • getting around the house

If you are okay with all of these but you think you are starting to struggle, you may just need a small amount of support. You can arrange your own care with help from family/friends or by contacting Adult Social Services.

Having some basic equipment and adaptations could also make your everyday life easier and provide the support you require to carry out these tasks safely.

Arranging your own care and support

You do not need to have an assessment from Social Services to arrange your own care and support.  Many people arrange and pay for their own care and support for a number of reasons, it may be because you don’t want any involvement from Social Services, or that, you/ a family member would rather have control over these arrangements, or maybe you do not meet the eligibility criteria for support from social services.

There are many options available when arranging and paying for your own support. It is important to be clear about the type of support that you need in order to establish whether a particular care provider or individual can meet your needs:

Depending on what support you want, purchasing services privately from a Registered Care Provider can start from a little as £7.50 for 30 minutes.  You can arrange a ‘one off’ service, or regular ongoing support. Discuss with the care provider what support you need, how often, what times you would like carers to call and any other wishes you might have on how the support is provided.

Care providers that employ care workers or nurses to carry out personal care tasks must be registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). Choosing a registered care provider will give you piece of mind that the necessary checks and training have been undertaken.

Employing a care worker directly

You can employ a care worker (or other help) directly rather than go through a care provider. It is important to consider what this will involve, particularly regarding any contract of employment and possible financial commitments such as National Insurance contributions.  You should carefully consider the duties you require and write a job description so that there is no misunderstanding by either party about what is expected of them.

Domestic/Laundry Services

You can contact a registered care providers to enquire about purchasing domestic and or laundry services, alternatively, you can find such services within your area on the internet, or local press.

Meals

For help with meals you could have meals delivered directly to your home by the Meals on Wheels service, or you may want to consider other options available to you, such as Wiltshire Farm Foods or even local pubs/cafĂ© may provide a meals delivery service.  Local supermarkets provide a good variety of frozen and ready made meals, many of which now cater for different diet needs.

Telecare / Pendant Alarm Telecare services (sometimes known as community alarm)

This is a 24-hour, 365-day monitoring service giving you the freedom to live your life independently knowing that you can obtain assistance when you need it. Telecare provides support and reassurance to you, family and carers by using wireless sensors monitored by a staffed call centre.

We may be able to provide you with telecare services if you meet our eligibility criteria, or you can purchase your own Telecare equipment from numerous online retailers and local suppliers of mobility equipment.

Contact us