HELP PROTECT AGAINST ILLNESS BY KEEPING WARM DURING THE COLD MONTHS

As we get older our bodies handle extremes of temperature differently; elderly people are particularly vulnerable during cold weather. Keeping warm is vital to protect against a chest infection, stroke or heart attack. All of which are more common in the winter. There are plenty of things that you can do for yourself or for elderly relatives in winter to keep warm and healthy:

CENTRAL HEATING – whatever the heating system make sure it is in good working order. Have it serviced on an annual basis to ensure it’s running safely and efficiently. Never block air vents and if you have wood-burning, coal or gas heaters make sure there’s adequate ventilation.

RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURES – a main living room should be around 70°F (21°C), and the rest of the home should be heated to at least 64°F (18°C). Check thermostats to monitor the temperature but if you feel cold, turn the heat up regardless of what it reads.

WINDOWS – close curtains as soon as it gets dark. Having a thermal lining inside curtains can really help to keep the heat in. Many people sleep with their bedroom windows open all year around, but breathing in cold air can increase the risk of a chest infection. When bad weather strikes keep bedroom windows closed at night.

WARMTH AT NIGHT – electric blankets are a godsend for the elderly, but these also need servicing, at least once every three years. If it’s really, really cold, wear your warmest clothes to bed, including a hat to avoid losing heat through your head.

WARMTH DURING THE DAY – wear lots of layers, including thermals and keep your feet warm in cosy slippers with non-slip soles. Clothes made from wool or fleecy synthetic fibres such as polyester are a better choice than cotton. Start with thermal underwear, warm tights or socks.

KEEP CUPBOARDS WELL STOCKED – keep a range of cold and flu remedies in the house. The last thing you should be doing is venturing out in the cold to visit the chemist when you are already unwell. Order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time, particularly if bad weather is forecast, or ask your local chemist if they offer a prescription pick-up and delivery service. Make sure you also keep a good stock of tinned and dried foods, such as pasta and jars of pasta sauce in the house, so you’ve always got a meal. Loaves of bread and even a pint of milk can be frozen if you decant it into a larger container.

POWER CUTS – it’s a good idea to have a battery-operated radio and torch to hand in case of a power cut and keep your phone or tablet fully charged so you can use the battery power if there’s no electricity.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT – are you entitled to any help to pay heating bills? Are you or your elderly relative entitled to and receiving the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment? For more information and guidance, take a look at the Government’s Warm this Winter advice.

Most important of all is to keep a close eye on relatives and elderly neighbours. It can be hard to keep spirits up during the winter, even for the spriteliest of people – so having regular visitors can do wonders.

If you are concerned about your elderly relative during the winter months, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team to find out more about how a live-in carer could help. Visit our website www.otusliveincare.com, call us on 01403 710119 or email [email protected].

IT’S ‘THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR’, BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE

We can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by, and that this is our last blog for 2015! It has been a busy year for everyone at Otus Live-In Care – particularly for all our registered live-in carers who have looked after our clients.

As it’s our last post of the year, we’d like to take the opportunity to express our thanks to all our registered carers for their hard work and dedication. It takes a special person to be a live-in carer – it can be very hard work – but we regularly receive feedback from our carers that they derive a lot of personal satisfaction too. So spare a thought and say a big ‘thank you’ to anyone who will be working over the festive season, looking after the elderly, keeping them safe and secure and giving up their own family Christmas.

Christmas can be a very tough time of year for older people. Especially for those living alone, with reduced mobility, and limited opportunity to get out of the house. Our clients tell us that one of the key benefits of opting for live-in care is knowing that a loved one has company and is not lonely. A live-in carer can also minimise the chance of someone having a fall or sustaining some other injury and being unable to summon help. Plus, the carers are on hand to pop into town to collect medications or shopping, to play a game of scrabble or just be a companion during the dark, winter evenings.

Sadly, at this time of the year, we are made more aware of loneliness and the elderly. Research has found that almost half a million elderly people will be spending Christmas on their own this year. The unfortunate truth is that for some people Christmas Day is just ‘another day’. Some may even have refused an invitation to a family gathering, or a friend’s house, for fear of ‘imposing’ or because they are worried that they will find the day too long and exhausting, or struggle to make conversation. Advertising campaigns portraying ‘perfect’ family gatherings only help to foster the feeling of isolation. But, there are things that we can all do to help the vulnerable in society to avoid feeling lonely during the festive period. On a personal level, you can spend time making sure that the older people in your community have somewhere to go on Christmas day, especially those who have lost their life partner. If you don’t feel it’s appropriate to extend an invitation to a big traditional Christmas meal, even a coffee and a chat in the run up to the big day, or between Christmas and New Year could be a lifesaver.

If you aren’t in a position to help personally, but you know of someone who might be suffering, it’s worth taking a look at the Community Christmas website communitychristmas.org.uk. Set up in 2011, Community Christmas is a charity, with the express purpose of bringing together individuals and organisations to provide companionship for the elderly on Christmas Day. The charity provides a national listing of events which are already planned for the elderly as well as guidance notes and telephone support to anyone wanting to set up an event in their own community. You might find that there is something already organised for older people in your area that you could suggest as a good place to visit.

If you have any concerns about a family member over the holiday period and think they could do with some extra care, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team for some ‘no obligation’ advice on 01403 710119 or email [email protected]. In the meantime, however you choose to celebrate the festive season, we wish you a wonderful, relaxing time and best wishes for 2016.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT SOMEONE MIGHT BE SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA

When we think about the most common causes of death, we usually think of cancer and heart disease as the biggest killers. But, you might be surprised to learn that it is actually dementia that is the leading cause of death in women, and the second for men, claiming more than 51,000 lives every year.

The reason for this change in the statistics is that advances in medicine have brought about a reduction in the impact of conditions such as heart disease on death rates. Sadly there is currently no cure for dementia and it has become the number one killer. Providing care for people with dementia is very challenging work. As the illness progresses, patients need increasing amounts of help, particularly with personal care, and they tend to become upset and angry with the people trying to help. Trying to communicate with someone who can no longer speak, or reassure an anxious and confused person takes skill and patience. And often it is a combination of patience, time and one to one care that has the most positive impact.

So, what are the first signs of dementia? How can you tell the difference between this and the forgetfulness that is often the norm in the elderly? And, what should you do if you suspect someone may be suffering from this condition?

The first change you might see is a memory lapse. This could include difficulty with normal tasks such as cooking or making decisions, or it might be the inability to give a name to an object or a person. Your relative might experience incidents in which they seem confused. They might forget which their house is or get off the bus at the wrong stop. If you suspect that your parent or elderly relative is experiencing memory lapses, it is really important to get them diagnosed by their GP as soon as possible. By leaving them undiagnosed, they could put themselves in danger and memory problems can trigger depression in the sufferer if left untreated. A GP will offer a range of tests including blood tests, thyroid function and possibly an ECG. Your relative will also be referred to a specialist – who might visit them in their home – or a Memory Clinic. They will also be given some cognitive tests, sometimes called the Mini Mental State Examination, and may be offered a CT or MRI scan if it is felt to be necessary.

Recent research has uncovered a possible early indicator of dementia, a ‘tell’ for the condition. Researchers at University College in London interviewed the families of 48 patients suffering from frontotemporal dementia (estimated to affect approximately 16,000 people in the UK). Their study identified a common characteristic prevalent in these patients before their diagnosis: a change in their sense of humour. These patients were observed by their families as becoming increasingly keen on ‘slapstick’ or darker humour and to have been amused by events others would not find funny, such as a badly parked car or a barking dog, and laughing inappropriately at tragic events. Further research needs to be carried out into this possible early indicator, but a surprising change in what makes your elderly relative laugh is definitely something to look out for.

Our carers are experienced in the needs of dementia patients. We can offer round the clock care for anyone struggling with this and many other life limiting conditions. For more advice or to discuss the options available, please don’t hesitate to call our team on 01403 710119 or email [email protected]

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING A VISIT MORE ENJOYABLE FOR ALL

Let’s be honest. When you have been visiting an elderly parent on a regular basis over a long period of time, it can be hard to keep the conversation ‘fresh’. Especially if the person you are visiting is housebound. You want to see them. It’s really important to you that you check in person that they are happy and healthy, and you know that loneliness can be a killer for the elderly. Your visit might be their lifeline – but making conversation based on a limited number of topics is hard work. Don’t feel guilty; finding it hard at times is normal.

Our advice is this: get planning. Instead of continuing to hope that you’ll come up with new and interesting topics at every visit, think along the lines of activities that you could undertake together. Alternatives to conversation mean that you can both enjoy the visit. You will be present, caring and not worrying that conversation will run dry. So we’ve put together some suggestions to help stimulate conversation.

Old Photographs
Whether your Mum or Dad’s pictures are beautifully arranged in a set of matching albums (most likely) or kept in a shoebox under the bed, old photographs can be a great source of conversation. If they do need sorting out, bring some albums over and spend the time together sticking them in. If they are already organised, ask to see them. You could request to see a specific picture of great Aunt Betty as an excuse. Combing through old albums will bring back happy memories, exercise long term memory, and spark lots of little conversations.

Book Club
Start a mini book club. Find a novel you might both enjoy, set yourselves a target deadline and then discuss the book together. If your parent has trouble reading, borrow an audio CD from the local library that they can listen to instead. You will get an interesting perspective on the story from someone of an older generation, and it could trigger conversation about their own experiences.

Cook together
Next time you are visiting, find out what is their favourite meal. Bring the ingredients along to the following visit and cook the meal together. Eat together too.

Film
If your relative is mobile, think about planning a trip to the cinema. With more time on their hands they can enjoy watching a film during the day when cinemas are quieter. If they are housebound, take something that you could watch together. If a film seems a bit too long, why not get a box set of a TV series they’d enjoy and watch one per week.

Teach them about the internet
If your parent is interested in technology, but has never used it, show them how. Being online will give them access to information and a communication method by which to keep in touch with children and grandchildren. Show them how to find blogs and websites that focus on their interests.

Hopefully this has given you some good ideas. We’d love to hear what you like to do with your parents to keep your visits enjoyable. Drop us a line or post a comment below.
To find out more about how our live-in carers help to keep our clients entertained and comfortable visit our blog post about the day in the life of a carer, call our team on 01403 710119 or email [email protected]

HOW LIVE-IN CARE TRANSFORMED ONE PERSON’S LIFE

October is West Sussex Care Month. Aimed at helping people access information and advice, enabling them to make the right choices, the campaign is targeted at anyone who is receiving care, caring for someone or a carer who needs support or would like a career in care. Linking to this initiative, we want to demonstrate how live-in care can transform a person’s life by recounting a true story. The following is a case study of an Otus Live-in Care client who found her life transformed with the help of live-in care. Naturally we have changed the names of all the individuals in this story to protect their privacy.

We first got to know Joyce when her niece contacted us. Joyce had suffered a stroke and was in hospital desperate to leave. Social Services had suggested that Joyce should go into a care home as she was too frail to live on her own and had early signs of dementia.

Joyce was determined not to have to leave her home and familiar surroundings behind. We set about trying to find her a carer who would be able to help her with her recovery and to regain her independence. Joyce was very precise about the type of person that she wanted to have care for her. She was a spinster and a little nervous about having a stranger living in her home. After lengthy discussions with Joyce’s family we set about finding a carer that we thought would be suitable. Joyce had always spent hours in her garden and found that the limitations her stroke had brought about frustrating. But with the carers’ assistance she was slowly able to do more and more. One of the carers re arranged Joyce’s greenhouse so she could access it to do some of the smaller tasks like potting up some bedding plants whilst her carer tackled the more difficult jobs. Getting Joyce back out to her garden really improved her outlook about life.

We introduced two different carers who worked on a rota basis, three weeks on three weeks off. This meant that Joyce got to know both her carers well and looked forward to their return every three weeks. She was comfortable with the carers changing every three weeks and described them both as wonderful friends even though they are like chalk and cheese. One of the carers was a former nurse with a wealth of experience in stroke recovery and she really helped with getting a recovery regime in place, encouraging Joyce with her exercises and prompting medication.

Joyce’s other passion in life had been cooking and food. Initially getting out and about to shop for food was extremely difficult and the carers used a wheelchair. The carers encouraged Joyce to continue with her physio and eventually she managed to progress to using a Zimmer frame to pop to the local village shop, or on a fine day, for a wander around the local garden centre followed by a cup of tea and cake. All in all, Joyce’s life was transformed by chosing to be cared for in her own home by profressional live-in carers.

If you have any questions about live-in care and the best way forward for your family, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Otus Live-in Care team on 01403 710119 for a no obligation chat. Or visit our website at www.otusliveincare.com. We’d love to be of help to you and answer any questions you may have.

HOW LIVE-IN CARE COULD BE JUST THE RIGHT RECIPE

When historians look back at this decade there’s a good chance it could be characterised by a shifting attitude to healthy eating. Think back to your childhood and compare what you ate with the food on our plates now. For many years we’ve been hearing debate about the healthiest ratio of carbs, protein and fat in our diet and unless you’ve been living in a cave, you must be aware of the recent focus in the media on the health issues surrounding sugar consumption.

At Otus Live-in Care, we don’t claim to be Jamie Oliver (if only!) but we like to think that we are doing our bit to promote healthy eating. For many of our clients, the simple act of opting for a live-in carer has changed what they are eating and improved their health no end. We’re confident that live-in care can provide answers to many of the problems that the elderly face such as: not wanting to give up their own home and surroundings; feeling lonely; feeling disoriented by a move into residential care, but we’ve also found that it can have a positive effect on health from a food perspective!

Many clients find that having food cooked for them on a daily basis means that they are guaranteed a balanced, nutritious diet and they start to feel better as a result of eating this consistently ‘better’ diet. We even had a case where a diabetic client found that his sugar levels became far less erratic simply because there was someone making sure he had a healthy and consistent diet.

In recent media coverage, the focus has tended towards what we should be feeding our children so that they grow up strong, healthy and with good habits for life. While this is, of course, vital, at Otus, we think attention should also be paid to what our senior citizens are eating. Many older people simply stop bothering to cook for themselves, especially if they have lost a partner and are now only cooking for one person. A live-in carer will cook three healthy and nutritious meals a day to each clients’ preference. It has been proven time and time again that good nutrition in the elderly or infirm can help to ease discomfort and avoid further illness.

One alternative approach to healthy eating could be the much talked about ‘Mediterranean’ diet, in particular the benefits of olive oil. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, which has been associated with reduced cancer risk and improved blood cholesterol (therefore reducing arteriosclerosis). Eating this type of diet has been shown to reduce the risks of many different age related diseases such as cardiovascular disease by 30%, strokes, cancer, osteoporosis and even depression. A Mediterranean diet includes a high intake of olive oil, fruit and vegetables and legumes, moderate consumption of fish and wine and low consumption of red meat and dairy. In fact, it is the olive oil which is the main component of this diet having a positive effect. Experts have suggested that as little as two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil each day can be beneficial to your health and wellbeing.

Most of our carers pride themselves on having excellent cooking skills – a good dash of love and careful attention goes into the meals that they prepare for our clients. Buying food and cooking whatever meal your relative prefers in a healthy way is just one of the many tasks a professional live-in carer will do in a normal day. Click here to read a ‘day in the life’ of account from one of our carers. If you are considering live-in care as an option for a family member visit our website www.otusliveincare.co.uk, or have a no obligation chat with our team on 01403 710119 to find out more about how we choose our carers and the care that they can provide.

LIVE-IN CARE – A DEDICATED JOB

We are proud of the work that our carefully selected carers do every single day. It takes a special kind of person to work through the long list of duties our clients expect, while maintaining a professional, kind and caring attitude.

To get some insight into what it’s really like to do the job, we asked one of our carers to write a diary for a day. Please note that we have changed the names of individuals in this story to protect their privacy.

Helen has worked in the social care sector for over 20 years, she’s a qualified social worker but has also worked in various settings as a residential social worker/support worker. Here’s her account of a typical day in her job…

“My current client is Paul who is in his early fifties. Paul had a back operation five years ago because of a cyst. The operation has left his legs very weak and now he can hardly bear weight. He uses a wheelchair to move himself around at home and when we go out. He can do lots of things for himself, but needs assistance with preparing meals and drinks, housework, personal care, getting dressed and sometimes he will ask me to help with his medication. Paul is a very independent person who likes his personal space but at the same time, he enjoys company.

8:00am – It’s a typical morning. I go in to Paul to wake him up with a nice cup of tea and return to my room until he is ready to get up.

9:00am – After helping Paul to get up and into the bathroom, I find his clothes for him and help him get dressed, he’s usually quite particular about what he’s going to wear so sometimes it takes a while to get things just right for him. Then I help Paul downstairs for his breakfast which I have already prepared.

10:30am – Today is a Thursday. On Thursdays Paul likes to go into town after we’ve eaten breakfast. We usually just have a wander around, go for a coffee and then – the highlight of Paul’s week – we pop into the betting shop! Paul loves the horses and every Thursday he will have a bet, usually just a couple of pounds. Sometimes he wins but more often he loses, and he gets very excited so we have a good laugh.

12:30pm – We usually stay in town for a couple of hours, then go for lunch at a local pub. Today Paul orders his favourite meal – fish and chips with a pint of beer. I have my usual poached salmon salad with sparkling water.

2:30pm – After lunch we return home to put our feet up. I get us a cup of tea and we treat ourselves to a few chocolates that I’ve been given by a friend.

3:30pm – Paul enjoys using his computer to catch up on news, chat to friends and family on Skype or to play a game. While he’s busy with this I use the time to prepare dinner, and to get some household jobs (washing, ironing or tidying up) done. Paul has a cleaner who comes once a week to do a proper clean so I just do the daily maintenance so that the house is nice for him. He also has a fortnightly gardener; my only job out in the garden (besides getting the barbecue going in the summer!) is to feed the goldfish in his pond. He doesn’t have any other pets but clients in the past have had animals, so caring for them or walking the dog has often been part of my workload.

6:00pm – Paul loves his food and he doesn’t really mind what we have to eat ‘as long as it has a bit of a kick’. Usually we’d discuss in the morning what he would like for dinner, but because Paul has already had a big meal at the pub he just wants a ham and mushroom omelette with plenty of cheese! I do him some ice cream with fruit for pudding. I’m trying to be healthy so I make an omelette for me but without the cheese. As usual we sit and chat while we eat. Today we talk about the latest cricket scores and whether Donald Trump could ever really be the US President. We really enjoy this time of day, just sitting together and discussing what’s going on in the world.

7:00pm – After tea I clear up the kitchen while Paul watches his favourite TV programmes. I usually go to my room to watch something that I prefer. It’s a good idea to give clients a bit of space at regular points in the day. I don’t want my clients to feel as though they have lost all privacy or that they can’t get a bit of quality ‘me’ time! Around 8pm I make us a cup of tea then at 9 o’clock I remind him to take his medication.

9:30pm – I help Paul to get upstairs, to undress, with his personal care and to get into bed. I turn on his telly and he watches it until he falls asleep.

10:30pm – When he is asleep I take some time out to get ready for the following morning before I go turn in myself. On occasion Paul might need my help during the night, and it’s a weight off his mind (and for his family) to know that I am immediately on hand to help him should there be an emergency.

I love my job, because I know that I’m making a big difference to Paul’s quality of life and I’m really pleased with the working relationship that we’ve been able to develop. I think he feels happy too.”

If you have any questions about live-in care and the best way forward for your family, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Otus Live-in Care team on 01403 710119 for a ‘no obligation’ chat. Or visit our website at www.otusliveincare.com. We’d love to be of help to you and answer any questions you may have.

HOW TO GO ABOUT SELECTING LIVE-IN CARE FOR YOUR MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION

Last month we posted an article outlining seven tips for choosing a live-in carer to look after an elderly or unwell relative.

There’s no doubt that this is a very tricky decision to make, so here we have outlined five more tips to help you work out the best person to hire. This time we focus on the practical arrangements of a working relationship. The ‘who will do what?’ type questions, and which discussions you should have at the beginning to avoid any potential problems.

If you are using an agency to find the right person, they should be taking measures to make sure that any potential carer is a perfect fit for your relative. However good the agency you are working with, it would be good practice to consider the following points.

1. When getting to know the carer, use open-ended questions. Using questions starting with ‘How’, ‘When’, ‘What’ or ‘Tell me about……’ will provide you with more informative responses and help you to understand the experience the carer has faster than using questions that need a yes or no answer.

2. Consider personal interests. You may have hand-selected a brilliantly trained, highly-recommended carer, but if they don’t have anything in common with your loved one, it can lead to a tricky working relationship. A shared interest in classical music or Chaplin films could result in a relationship built on companionship as well as care which will be much more successful. Asking the carer to describe what type of person he or she is and finding out a little about their background and history will help you to decide on compatibility.

3. Be upfront and specific about the tasks that you want them to perform. Agree what you want the carer to do at the beginning so that everyone’s expectations are managed. Remember, two way feedback is crucial to success. The carer needs to know exactly what is expected of them in order to provide the best possible care for their client. But equally, the carer may have suggestions and feedback that could make live-in care even more effective.

4. Discuss routines, food and travel arrangements. One of the key advantages of live-in care lies in its flexibility and how bespoke it can be. When you have selected someone equipped to do the job with a good ‘personality’ match for your parent or relative, spend time outlining a typical day. The benefit to your mum or dad of staying in their own home is that they can continue to live life as they want to. This might include eating their favourite meals (check the carer can/will prepare them), visiting friends or the doctor (check the carer is happy to drive them around) or just doing their usual crossword (check the carer is handy with a thesaurus).

5. If possible, share details of the carer with your relative before the engagement starts. You may have been your most diligent and thorough self during the process of finding the right person for the job, but the final decision is yours – you and your relative remain in control. If you are not 100% happy with the carer being proposed, say so. A face-to-face meeting might not be practical, but a one-to-one telephone call would help to clarify suitability. There is no better indicator than human chemistry for finding the right match. The importance of compatibility can never be underestimated.

We hope you found these tips of use. If you have any questions about this process, and the best way forward for your family, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Otus Live-in Care team on 01403 710119 for a ‘no obligation’ chat. We’d love to be of help to you, and to answer any questions you may have.

ONE MILLION HOSPITAL PATIENTS READMITTED WITHIN 30 DAYS*

AVOID BEING ONE OF THEM BY NOT BEING AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS

If you’ve ever had a close relative in hospital, you will have been desperate to see a speedy recovery and to have them discharged as quickly as possible. It is very upsetting to witness the distress of an elderly loved one in a bed on a busy ward, disoriented by the noise, stressed by the pain of others and the lack of privacy. Recovery in the comfort of our own home is much the better option which is where live-in care could be the solution. Hospital discharge that is rushed without making sure that a suitable support plan is in place, could have a damaging impact longer term.

A recent report by the National Audit Office identified that: of all the patients discharged from hospitals in the UK in 2014, one million were readmitted within 30 days. Healthwatch England conducted a year-long inquiry into readmissions and identified that the cause could be the way in which hospitals are discharging patients in that they are not taking sufficient care to ensure that patients are genuinely ready to leave with the correct support in place. It identified cases of patients being discharged without consultation from a doctor, or being sent home while relatives were wrongly advised that they were being sent to a rehabilitation centre.

BBC news coverage of the inquiry has highlighted that:

‘Of the 120 hospital trusts that responded to Freedom of Information requests:
• Half were failing to record whether the patient’s home environment was suitable.
• A third were failing to record whether the patient’s GP or carer had been notified of new medicines.’

In fact, these two items should be part of the standard discharge policy that every hospital should have in writing. If you aren’t sure what is included, ask to see a copy. According to the Alzheimer’s Society website:

‘The hospital discharge process should include:
• An assessment of the person’s needs, living environment and support network.
• A written care plan that records these needs.
• Confirmation that any required services are in place in time for the discharge.
• A system for monitoring and, if necessary, adjusting the care plan to meet any change in needs.
• An assessment to see if the person qualifies for NHS continuing health care.’

It makes sense to plan the details of discharge with hospital staff in advance. Details really make a difference, for example, it is their responsibility to ensure that you have transport arranged. They must also take extra care over allowing a patient to leave late on a Friday because of the difficulty of contacting health services and GPs during the weekend.

While the checks are hugely beneficial, in the case of elderly patients, discharges are often delayed due to the time it takes to assess and ensure that suitable care arrangements are in place. A delay could mean your relative going into a residential facility until care at home is available. This can cause further discomfort and disorientation to a patient who may be desperate to get back to familiar surroundings and a home-cooked meal.

One solution for avoiding even a brief spell in residential care is the engagement of a carefully selected live-in carer, for temporary recuperation or on a more permanent basis.

A live-in carer can help with whatever a patient needs when arriving home from hospital. This may range from domestic tasks such as meal preparation, light housework and laundry. Or it could include patient care such as help with transfers to and from wheelchairs, escorting the client to medical appointments, assistance with bathing washing and dressing, continence care and toileting assistance. More importantly, a live-in carer can be invaluable when it comes to maintaining a care plan post operatiion, helping with physio and liaising with other healthcare professionals. A carer with training and experience in caring for a person with terminal illness, who has suffered a stroke or is suffering from advanced Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, will be able to provide care tailored to the specific needs of these types of clients . Other benefits include providing companionship and support to regain confidence.

*National Audit Office statistic

END

To find out more about how a live-in carer could help you or a loved one remain in your own home, visit our website www.otusliveincare.com, call us on 01403 710119 or email [email protected].

Otus Live-in Care is a privately owned company offering a bespoke service introducing personal live-in carers and companions to clients in their own homes. We are dedicated to helping provide support for those who want to retain their independence, but with the security that they have someone living with them to deliver support and provide companionship.