“Today, we celebrate seven years together!” – the gleefully happy sentiment of a carer introduced by Access Care in 2010 to a lady in Hampshire living with Parkinson’s disease. This lady has two carers supporting her to live at home with her husband at any one time. Elizabeth cares for her alongside two other regular carers throughout the year, each staying with her for a number of weeks at a time. She sent us this wonderful picture to show their happiness.
There are many wonderful benefits of engaging a home carer to live with you in your own home; but the extreme high levels of continuity that this care option allows is certainly one of the greatest. Unlike domiciliary care or a move to a care home where many carers work on a rotational shift pattern to deliver their service, often restricted by tight time constraints and other operational factors, one-to-one carers that live-in your own home have the time to offered a truly tailored service that is fluid.
Continuity is an incredibly important factor in a Peron’s experience of any type of ‘care.’ The term ‘continuity of care’ typically refers to the quality of care services received by a person over a period of time. It could relate to repeatedly seeing the same GP, OT or District Nurse. In a homecare setting, it relates more to having the same hourly carers visiting at a set time each day. In this instance, continuity of care would be better named ‘continuity of carer’ and specifically refers to arranging the same carers to live with you in your own home on a regular and steady rotational pattern throughout the year.
Here are some of the main advantages to having a ‘live-in’ carer:
Private Carers have the time to truly understand their clients. They become familiar with patterns and routines enabling them to respond quickly to changes out of the ordinary which may signify a decline in health.
Carers become familiar with their client’s favourite meals and learn how and when they would like them served.
Families/Clients do not have to keep showing different carers around the home, telling them where items are stored or how the washing machine works for example.
Peace of mind for the entire family that their loved one is being cared for by trusted carers that they really know on a personal level.
Carers becomes known to friends, family and other relevant individuals such as Doctors, Pharmacists and District Nurses who work as a team to provide the very best service and care required.
Continuity works both ways – carers like the stability that a regular client provides for them too and are at their best when they have a relationship with their client forged over time.
When one carer goes home for a rest and another familiar one arrives, the changeover between the two is more like friends catching up with their client altogether.
Striving to achieve true ‘Continuity of Care/Carer’ should be the aim of any care provider. It instils trust and confidence for those in receipt of care and their families alike.
All that’s left to say is Congratulations to Elizabeth and her client. We celebrate with you.