How Home Care Services in Dartford Improve Mental Health • Caremark

Home care services refer to domiciliary care and support services, home care services provide the perfect balance between medical care, support, independence and comfort. Allowing for the most independence possible whilst only providing support where needed. You still have the freedom of living at home whilst maintaining a level of care and support that is tailored to your specific needs, preferences and budget. With over three decades worth of experience and knowledge, Caremark can provide any kind of support package from social support to 24/7 live in care within Dartford. Our personal team support a range of health issues whether mental health, physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

Our Team Are Here To Support You

Our team of compassionate and skilled care workers allow customers to live their life how they like, whilst maintaining their safety and health to the utmost standard. The care and support worker working within your home will not only be thoroughly screened and background checked but catered to your specific needs. Caremark strives to provide a home care service that is community-oriented in nature. Caremark Dartford & Gravesham delivers care to Gravesend, Swanscombe, Northfleet, Greenhithe, Shorne, Longfield, Higham, Darenth, Hartley, Cobham, Southfleet, Meopham, Wilmington, Bean, Joydens Wood and Vigo Village.

Mental Health In Later LifeMental health as a topic is becoming more openly discussed amongst the media and within peer groups, helping reduce the stigma and demystify some of the associations. You can be diagnosed with mental health issues at any point in life, no matter what your age or physical disposition. However, as we grow older, we become more prone to mental health issues. This is because of most people’s lifestyle changes, but it’s just as important to take care of your mental health as well as physical health.
There is often an assumption that mental health problems are a ‘normal’ aspect of ageing but most older people don’t develop mental health problems, and they can be helped if they do. Because it is assumed as ‘normal’ often less care is taken as well as more disregard for their feelings.
While a significant number of people do develop dementia or depression in old age, they aren’t an inevitable part of getting older.

Retirement

Not everyone feels ready to retire at the same time. If work or career is a major part of your life, it can affect a number of factors in your life:

Your social life: Often your job provides friendships and connections.
Your sense of self-worth and self-esteem: People are valued for their skills and commitment to their job.
Your financial security: An obvious one, but if you don’t have a pension in place, this thought can be daunting.

Being retired (or semi-retired) can also be a busy phase of life because friends and family can have plans for your time – anything from child care to DIY tasks. It can be a chance to try a new activity or learn new skills and do the things that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time.

Depression

Depression again is a term often not talked about. Depression describes a range of moods, from feeling a bit low in mood to feeling unable to cope with everyday life. Again, it can affect anyone, of any age or background. However the older we get, the more we are affected. This is because older people are much more vulnerable to factors that lead to depression, such as:

being widowed or divorced
being retired/unemployed
physical disability or illness
loneliness and isolation

These changes associated with getting older, along with prescribed medication for other conditions and genetic susceptibility are also factors which affect levels of depression.
Furthermore, there are a number of rare mental health problems that affect elderly people, including delirium, anxiety and late-onset schizophrenia.

Dementia

What exactly is dementia? Dementia is a decline in mental ability which affects memory, thinking, problem-solving, concentration and perception. It occurs as a result of the death of brain cells or damage in parts of the brain that deal with our thought processes.
People with dementia can become confused, restless or display repetitive behaviours. They may also seem irritable, tearful or agitated which can be very distressing for both the person with dementia and their family and friends.

Alcohol abuse

Although alcohol abuse is a problem for people of all ages, however it is more likely to go unrecognised among older people. Reasons for alcohol abuse in older age include:

Bereavement and other losses
Loneliness
Physical ill health
Disability and pain
Loss of independence
Boredom and depression

Medication

As we grow older, it is obvious we may be taking more medication for other illnesses. Prescribed medications can cause symptoms associated with mental illness in older people. Most elderly people are taking some kind of medication, and many are taking several at the same time. There are risks associated with taking multiple medications, including confusion.

Mental Capacity

People with dementia or severe mental illness may be unable to make or communicate decisions. Very few people are completely incapable of making any choices or decisions, but some older people may have partial or fluctuating mental capacity and may need help or support to make these decisions – especially when it comes to your life.
Reducing Loneliness & Social Isolation
Although often disregarded, mental health is a huge part of home care and is a priority for us. The NHS warns that older people can often fall prey to loneliness and social isolation which worsens health both physically and mentally. According to Age UK, 225,000 older people often go a whole week without speaking to anyone. As people grow older they can become socially isolated due to a change in lifestyle: growing older, weaker and losing their role in the family.
Furthermore, this isolation can make them vulnerable to worsening health or creating mental health issues like depression, anxiety or personality disorders. The Economic and Social Research Council found that “adults with no friends are the worst off psychologically”. Here at Caremark we provide help with personal care, companionship, gaining or regaining independence, socialising and leisure activities which have been proven to improve mental health. This can be as simple as walking the dog or company and transport for doctor and hospital appointments.

Home Care Benefits Both Physical & Mental Health

Research conducted into the impact of home care versus alternative care homes, displays the strong relationship between physical and mental health, and home care. The data was collected from three independent, international healthcare and biomedical research data collections. The article collates a range of data focused on adults over 65 years seeking either elder home care or alternative care locations like independent living at home, institutional care, rehabilitation at home or conventional rehabilitation services and the effect that this has on their physical and mental health. Over a quarter of a million individual participants are included and the health outcomes that were investigated were function and independence; satisfaction; mortality; healthcare usage; institutional care; care assistant outcomes; falls; cognition; symptom burden; quality of life; mental health in general and death at home. The vast majority of findings from the systematic reviews chose home with support as the favoured location of care.

We at Caremark are always aiming to achieve higher standards of care and better support the ever-changing health and social needs of our customers and this applies to not only physical health but mental health.
Citations

“Impact of home care versus alternative locations of care on elder health outcomes: an overview of systematic reviews” – BMT Geriatrics 17, Article number: 20 (2017)
“Mental health and social relationships” – Economic and Social Research Council (2013)