Considering Home Care for the Elderly in North Yorkshire

Published 27 December 2011.

Considering home care for yourself or a loved one is a hugely important decision which should lead to a much higher quality of life and the ability to remain comfortable, safe and happy in the familiar surroundings of one’s own home. In seeking a trusted home care provider there are various aspects of the service that should always be considered prior to enlisting help.

The circumstances, requirements and wishes of each individual are different and it is therefore important that you first establish whether a home care provider can meet your or your loved one’s specific needs. Try to understand the basis on which help can be provided – this may include short pop-in visits, longer home visits (e.g. morning visits, afternoon visits, meal time help etc.) or full-time live-in care. Ensure that care can be provided on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Any schedule of care visits should always be focused on your or your loved one’s specific requirements, even if these change over time.

The staff of a home care provider are the most important part of offering high quality care. Always ask how staff are engaged – for example, Carefound’s home carers are fully employed by the company ensuring that its team is comprised of only the best people, all of whom are required to undergo a comprehensive recruitment and selection process. It is also important to know that staff are well rewarded with genuine opportunity to develop a long-term career – this enables continuity of care.

Home care staff must of course have the experience and skills required to meet the needs of their Clients. Staff should undergo a thorough induction programme and receive ongoing training in all aspects of care provision such as nutrition and hydration, medication, manual handling and infection control. You should also understand whether home carers receive training in specialist conditions such as dementia. In offering long-term careers to their teams providers of care should facilitate ongoing professional development such as enabling home care staff to progress to at least a Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care.

As well as understanding the attributes, skills and qualifications of any home carer you or your loved one may accept into your / their home, you should also be sure to learn about the management of any home care team local to you. Always ask about both the day-to-day manager(s) of care and the individual with overall responsibility for the service. Carefound prides itself on being a locally founded, owned and managed provider of home care, however many other home care companies operate under a national franchise and hence families should not simply rely on the ‘brand’ of these organisations.

Further examples of information that is important to understand before enlisting the services of a home care provider can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the Carefound website at www.carefound.co.uk.

Carefound is a provider of high quality home care services to elderly people in North Yorkshire, enabling clients to continue to live independently in the comfort of their own home whilst maintaining the highest quality of life achievable. Services provided include basic help in the home, companionship, personal care, medication help, post-operative rehabilitation and specialist help such as dementia care and palliative care. The flexible service ranges from 1 hour to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, and can also encompass 24-hour Live-In Care services. Carefound is based in Harrogate and helps Clients in surrounding towns and villages including (but not limited to) Wetherby, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Ripon, Thirsk, Pannal, Bedale, Pateley Bridge, Nidderdale and Masham. For more information please telephone 01423 774070 or visit www.carefound.co.uk.

Source: Carefound.