Receiving home care services is an adjustment – especially in the beginning. While many of the benefits are obvious, what some people don’t realise is the advantages extend beyond the home, personal care, or social support they may receive. In fact, home care services could be the bridge to ensuring you can continue lifetime activities and maintain your independence. Here’s how.
What are home care services?
Home care services let people live independently in their own home for as long as possible. Available services fall into several categories, including:
- Personal care
- Allied health like podiatry and physio
- Nursing
- Transportation
- Aids and equipment.
You can also receive care and support around the home, like:
- Gardening
- Cleaning
- Home modifications like handrails and ramps
- Meal preparation.
The services you receive depend on your ACAT assessment.
How home care services improve quality of life
Brightwater at Home Client Engagement Coordinator Clare Little said people are sometimes surprised when they learn how much support is available to them. For many older people, home care services make a big difference to their quality of life.
“We encourage people to get help with things that have become a chore for them or their families,” Clare said.
“It can be things like cleaning or gardening. Getting help allows clients to spend more time doing nice things like having a coffee or going out for lunch. Their families appreciate it too.”
Staying connected to your life with home care services
For Noel, home care services have ensured he’s able to continue living his life independently. As a widower, he had been used to taking care of the family home, a large garden, and his own needs. Health problems made some of those tasks difficult and Noel wasn’t able to keep up with the house and garden like he once had.
Noel receives nursing, cleaning, gardening, and occasional window washing services as part of his package. The help has given him back his free time and allowed him to stay active in his lawn bowling club, where he’s been a member for 25 years.
“I go up there on a Friday for a drink and a meal,” Noel said.
“There are quite a few things to do up there if you want to do it. We play bingo. There are two trips a year. There’s the bowling, pool tables, cards games, and social events like for the Melbourne Cup.”
Noel said his home care has given him loads of time to go shopping, visit friends, and head to the local pool for swimming if he’s in the mood. He uses taxi tickets from his home care package to easily get to where he wants to go.
“It’s so easy for me now. I’ve got no worries in the world,” Noel said.
Retired engineer Paul also appreciates how home care services has helped him continue to live an active life. He receives house cleaning, ironing, physio and social support every week and it’s made a huge difference in his life.
“I get a lot of benefit from the exercises. There are a couple special stretching exercises that keep me mobile. I work with weights on my ankles to keep my legs strong. We take walks around the retirement village where I live. It all helps,” Paul said.
Mobility is important to Paul because he’s so active in his community. He’s the founding president of his local Men’s Shed and also heavily involved in committee work for Probus, a branch of Rotary for retired people. He is also part of a garden club.
“I love growing roses in my garden,” Paul said.
“The physio keeps me going and moving around so I can do these things that are important to me.”
Arthritis prevents Paul from doing household tasks like vacuuming, washing floors and ironing but home care keeps everything neat and tidy.
“I like my clothes to be ironed,” Paul said.
“When I was working in the mines in Kununurra, you got a certain amount of respect by the way you present yourself. I always say you might as well look like a boss even if you are not the boss.”
Why social support gives you independence as you age
You don’t need to be as active as Noel or Paul to benefit from social support which Clare said comes in many forms.
“You can have someone come to your home and take you out,” Clare said.
“That might be for shopping or maybe you just want to go for a drive, or want to spend time doing activities.
“If it’s a hot day or the weather is bad, you can stay home and potter around the garden with a support worker or play cards, or a game.”
Clare said the beauty of home care services is that it gives older people options they may not have otherwise.
“It’s very important to stay a part of the community. With the home care package, it’s not about losing independence, it’s about keeping independence and not feeling isolated.
“It’s about making sure you can stay connected with your community, so you can stay in your home for as long as possible.”
Find out how home care services can keep you connected
If you need support around the home, give us a call on 1300 223 968 or email [email protected].
