When Is The Right Time To Start Receiving Home Care?

The choice to start receiving home care is one that can be exceptionally difficult. There are a lot of factors that go into making such a decision and the best way to ensure someone gets the support they need is to take a proactive approach.

The broadest answer is that a care needs assessment will look into the help someone needs on a day-to-day basis and provide an appropriate level of support that can increase or decrease depending on the person’s needs.

However, knowing when to get an assessment can be difficult outside of major life-altering events such as a hospital visit or a point where someone is very clearly struggling with their day-to-day living. 

The best transition into care that will have the least disruption and allow for the greatest independence and quality of life is one taken as early as possible when someone is starting to struggle, and the best person to ask is the person set to receive care.

If they are starting to feel unsafe living alone, feel like their home without adaptations is uncomfortable to the point of being unsafe, are struggling to meet their basic needs on their own or are increasingly relying on an unsustainable level of support from friends and family.

It is not always easy to know when the time is right, but early interventions, such as having a carer come in for a few hours a day to make sure that a person is okay might be everything they need right now to enjoy a high quality of life.

It is ultimately about the best interests and needs of the person at the centre, and unless they are unable to make that decision for themselves, they will ultimately know when it is right for them to make that decision for themselves.