Reablement Care
What is reablement care?
Reablement care is short-term home care that may be needed after a hospital stay or illness.
Reablement care, also called intermediate care, is a type of short-term home care that may be necessary after a hospital stay, accident or an illness to enable you to become independent again.
Some people might also refer to reablement care as post-operative or post-surgical care, but these are slightly less specific terms as they don’t suggest an obvious end date, whereas reablement care is specifically aimed at people who will regain their independence after the period of care.
How does reablement care work?
With reablement care, local carers will support you at home until you’re back on your feet.
Reablement care usually runs for a maximum of six weeks, although the average is about two, and it consists of support in the home with tasks to increase independence, such as mobility support.
An integrated care team will usually be involved with reablement care, meaning professionals from all areas of the NHS and the wider social care team may be involved. This can consist of homecare workers, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and doctors.
The benefits of reablement care at home
Having reablement care at home allows you to stay in the place you love the most whilst receiving the expert one-to-one support you need during your recovery.
Reablement care is beneficial because it sets clear goals for your recovery and means you have a specific aim to work towards. This can also be broken down into smaller goals that you can aim for on a daily or weekly basis meaning you get to see tangible results of your recovery from very early in the process.
Retain your independence
Respite care at home allows you to keep living life on your own terms, meaning you can continue doing the activities and routines you enjoy
Personalised support
We know that you might like things to be done in a certain way, so we’ll make sure you continue to get the type of home care you’re used to
Rest for your normal carer
Respite care allows your normal carer to take a well-deserved break, meaning that when they return they’ll be refreshed and re-energised
Support when you most need it
Whether you’ve had an accident, are recovering from surgery or have been discharged from hospital, we’ll support you in your hour of need
Maintain routines and hobbies
You’ll be able to continue enjoying your favourite routines and hobbies without worrying about being left unsupported or isolated
Spend more time with loved ones
Staying at home for respite care means you’ll still be able to see loved ones whenever you wish, including visiting them with the help of your carer
The different types of reablement care
Whatever your needs and preferences, we’ve got a package of care that’s just right for you.
We offer reablement care on both a visiting care and live-in care basis, depending on your level of support needs. This means that you can have scheduled homecare visits as often as you require or have one of our carers living in your home with you.
Having a visiting carer is a great way to benefit from personalised support at points throughout the week at the times that suit you, ensuring you’re always getting the support you need at the times that you’ll most benefit from it.
Visits to cater for your needs
Flexible support
Holistic care
Live-in care will see one of our fantastic carers come to live with you in your home to provide round-the-clock support and companionship. Your live-in carer can assist around the home in a number of ways, helping you to live life to the full.
24-hour care
Life on your own terms
Handpicked carer
Who is reablement care for?
Reablement care is for anyone who needs a bit of additional help getting back on their feet.
Previously, if you were being discharged from hospital and needed extra support you would most likely have been referred to a care home or been offered ongoing social care at home. Carers would have undertaken tasks for you, rather than encouraging you to be as independent as possible, and attempting to do such tasks for yourself, with support.
Now though, the focus is much more on promoting independence and encouraging people to regain the abilities that they had before their accident or illness, which is something that we have been advocates of since the very beginning.
People often choose reablement care when they are:
Recovering from an illness
Recovering from surgery
Experiencing frailty
Recovering from an infection
Supporting your independence
Our reablement care focuses on supporting you to be independent in your day-to-day life.
We have always encouraged our customers’ independence, and our carers would never ‘take over’ when a customer was able and happy to undertake something for themselves. Our carers are trained to be the best supporter our customers can have, but never to limit your independence. If a person you care for is taking longer to carry out a task than they used to, it can be tempting to do it for them.
However, all this does is limits their independence and makes them more reliant on someone else than they need to be. Consequently, we should always encourage someone to try something themselves first, while supporting them in any way we can.
Reablement care from the home care experts
When you talk to us about reablement care, one of our knowledgeable and friendly managers will come to your home to discuss the type of care you need and how we can deliver it. A needs assessment will be carried out which will then form the basis of your support plan, which our carers will work from to ensure you have the best support possible to achieve your recovery goals.
We will never limit our customers’ independence for the sake of getting tasks done more quickly; we’d rather wait as long as it takes so that our customers feel a sense of self-achievement. The benefits to someone’s mental health from reaching and bypassing a set goal are enormous and should never be underestimated.
Our guarantees include:
Person-centred care
We will always keep you at the centre of your own care journey and work tirelessly to help you reach your recovery goals
35 years of experience
We’ve been providing specialist home care since 1989, so you can be confident that we really are the homecare experts
Family values
We were founded as a family-run care provider, and family values are still completely central to our approach to care
Kind, dedicated carers
Our carers are recruited for their compassionate personalities and are fully committed to promoting your independence
How to arrange reablement care
At Helping Hands, we make it incredibly straightforward to arrange care so that we can focus on what really matters: your needs. Speak to our team today to begin your care journey.
Speak to our team
Call our team of experts to talk through your options and any questions you may have
Free home care assessment
Your local Helping Hands manager will visit you to discuss your care requirements
Find your carer
We’ll help to match you with a carer who meets your preferences and has the right skills
Fully regulated by the CQC / CIW
Here at Helping Hands, our home care services are fully managed and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
From your very first phone call to our friendly team, every aspect of your home care service is independently monitored and regulated by the CQC and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).
What does regulation mean?
Our service is regularly monitored, inspected and regulated by an independent body.
Why do we choose to be regulated?
We know that being regulated gives you, the customer, full peace of mind about your care
How does regulation affect my care?
Independent regulation ensures that every aspect of your care is being undertaken properly.
Page reviewed by Kathryn Mahon, Regional Clinical Lead, on November 29, 2021.