When care at home is being considered, it helps to know what good care looks like to inform your decision.
When care at home is being considered, it helps to know what good care looks like to inform your decision. There are the basic tasks that a care provider will support with. What is often is neglected however are the other aspects of our lives that are essential to our wellbeing.
Things to consider:
• Has it been left too late? Too often care at home is sought when the person’s situation has become dire. The earlier care is put in place, the better the prospects for successful care and avoiding crises.
• Will the care be forward thinking? The care provider should monitor the individual’s wellbeing to be able to respond quickly, allow for early intervention and plan ahead.
• Will the provider work closely with the broader “care circle”? Communicating with doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, even family, friends and neighbours. The care should support and complement the therapies of other health professionals.
• What are the individual’s mental, emotional and social needs? Addressing aspects of the person’s psychological wellbeing is vital to improving their overall good health.
• Is the care focused on the positive aspects of the person’s life? No matter how challenging an individual’s situation is, there are aspects of their life that bring them peace and a sense of self-worth.
• Care that is achieving outcomes: is the care directed by a set of outcomes that it is trying to achieve? Too often care is about “maintaining” a situation by completing tasks. Instead, care should be reviewed and measured against outcomes focused on improving an individual’s life in a real way.
Good care is about enhancing the individual’s life in all aspects, with a focus on positive outcomes and giving the individual confidence and control over their own lives.
Some guidance and further information is available here: