What to Do If a Loved One’s Care Needs Change Suddenly
Common Reasons Care Needs Change Suddenly
There are many reasons why care needs might change without warning, but if it happens, you and your loved ones need to be confident that you’ll be taken care of expertly. Perhaps you’ve never had professional care before and you’re anxious about having strangers in your home; with Helping Hands you don’t need to worry as our handpicked carers will quickly become trusted friends.
A fall, accident, or injury
If you’ve had a fall, whether at home or elsewhere, you may require some temporary care to get you back on your feet. Respite care for a short while may be all you need while you recover, and continuing to live at home will help you heal more quickly.
A stroke or sudden illness
A stroke or unexpected illness can see you desperately wanting to return home from hospital. However, this can only happen if you have adequate support in place, which our expert carers can provide on a visiting or live-in care basis.
Hospital discharge
When you are being discharged from hospital it’s important that you can manage when you return home. Helping our customers transition to living independently again is one of our specialisms, and we can be with you for as long as you need us.
Dementia symptoms
Dementia is progressive, meaning that, over time, symptoms will worsen. You may have been living independently for quite some time but now feel that you aren’t managing, or perhaps your loved ones are some way away and wish you to have company.
Immediate Steps to Take
There are some things that will need to be done if you’re going to receive care at home, and many people begin with asking their local authority for a care needs assessment. You also may wish to ask a healthcare professional for advice or come straight to Helping Hands for some help and guidance.
Arranging an urgent care needs assessment
The NHS has a lot of helpful information about the local council needs assessment. They can advise on equipment like a personal alarm, walking frame, changes to your home such as a walk-in shower, or the sort of help you can receive from a paid carer.
Speaking to your parent's GP
While your parent’s GP can’t disclose their medical history to you (unless you have lasting power of attorney in place) you can raise your concerns with them. Writing an email or letter may be the best way as you can ensure you include all the details.
Short-Term Care Options While You Decide
If time is of the essence, you may feel that you don’t want to commit to anything long-term until you know how you will get on with a carer in your home. Helping Hands will tailor your package of home care to you and ensure it remains flexible, so as your needs change so will your care.
Emergency home care
If you need home care in a hurry, we can arrange support to start in as little as 24 hours of you getting in touch. In a crisis we can often turn this around even quicker. Because our carers work for us, you’re guaranteed a compassionate, motivated professional.
Respite care
Respite care is short-term support, often delivered in our customers’ homes to give their existing carers a break. It can also take the pressure from loved ones’ while ensuring that you still receive the very highest standards of care at all times.
Planning for the Longer Term
Whether you begin with short-term care and decide to commit longer-term, or you go straight to having ongoing support, it’s important to have a comprehensive support plan that details your wishes. We’ll help you plan effectively for your future care.
Increasing existing care visits
If you already have visiting care you may want to increase the frequency of the visits. Some of our customers have us in once a week, whereas others have several visits a day or increase the length of visits. It really is up to you how we support you.
Moving to live-in care
If you are considering around the clock support, live-in care may suit you better. Not only do you get practical support with your care needs you also get companionship when you require and your family have the reassurance of knowing you’re never alone.
Supporting Your Parent Emotionally Through the Change
Suddenly requiring care may be an emotional experience, acknowledging that you can no longer manage as you once did. It doesn’t mean that everything has to change forever though; it may not be permanent, and things can change. Perhaps you need some temporary support while you recover from an illness or accident, or you’d appreciate some company throughout the day, because your loved ones live some distance away.
How Helping Hands Can Arrange Care at Short Notice
We provide all of the support you need on a holistic level, meaning that your care is personalised to you and your situation. Household and personal care tasks are done to the highest standards, while your emotional needs — including keeping you company, accompanying you to activities you enjoy, and keeping you in touch with friends — are undertaken compassionately. Your carer will follow your support plan so that your routine is respected, and we’ll make sure that they’re knowledgeable and experienced. We also check references carefully and screen through the DBS, so you and your loved ones can be sure the people coming into your home are suitable.
FAQs
We can provide care quickly, often within 24 hours in the case of an emergency. We employ all of our carers ourselves so checks and references are already complete, meaning that we can get a suitable carer into your home without delay.
We’ll provide care for as long as you need us to. Whether you only need us temporarily or you’re looking for ongoing support, we’ll be there for you as long as you need us.
Our live-in carers are often prepared to travel the length of the country to look after customers, while others prefer to stay in one location. This means that we often have live-in carers who can commit to you quickly, often within 24 hours, so have a chat with us about your particular circumstances.
Care needs can change for many reasons. Perhaps you’re living with dementia and your condition is progressing, or you’re recovering from an illness or accident and need short-term support. Things can happen without warning but it’s important that we make adequate provision for the future. This way, your wishes will always be respected.