How To Prepare Early For Home Care

Change can be difficult and the bigger and more sudden the change, the more difficult it can be for someone’s mind to adjust.

Even when the ultimate result of this transition is beneficial, such as having a live-in carer available to ensure someone can continue to live as independently as possible whilst ensuring that all of their basic needs are met, change can feel disruptive and uncomfortable.

This is why it is essential to prepare as soon as possible for the possibility that a loved one may need some help, and the first step to doing so is to gently introduce the subject once you notice a point where they may benefit from additional care services.

It can start by engaging them with gentle, open-ended questions such as how they would feel if someone helped them to cook, clean or go to the shops. Bringing it up this way allows for an exploration of what care means to them.

Home care is a very scalable, tailored set of services, and can range from help keeping the house tidy to round-the-clock care, and foregrounding this will help make the change feel less significant, both now and if they require more help in the future.

As well as this, ensure that it is a two-way conversation. If your loved one is apprehensive, listen to their response and be empathetic to their point of view.

Not only will this help them feel in control of their situation, valued and understood, but it will also help to define the types of home care that would be beneficial and shape the process of involving professionals.

They must be central to this process of choosing their own care options, ensure they sit in on care discussions, meet potential carers as early as possible and ensure that their needs and feelings are put at the forefront of any discussions.

The hardest step is often the first one, and taking your time and making as many preparations as you can will help ease the transition.