When the time comes that you or a loved one is in need of additional care and support, you’ll want to ensure you select the best possible option; one that is right for you, your family and the unique situation you find yourselves in.
It can be a daunting time, coupled with high levels of emotion and often increased levels of stress. At times like this, it is understandable to make decisions quickly and sometimes without a rational thought process.
With this in mind we've pulled together some easy to follow guidance steps below:
What types of care are there?
- Home Care - The person needing care stays in their own home, with their pets and familiar surroundings. Care companies provide care visits that can be anything from 30-minutes to full Live-in Care.
- Residential Care Home - The person needing car leave their home to live in a Care Home with other people. They share communal area and the attention of staff members.
Which care is best?
There are benefits to each option so you’ll need to consider which works best for you and your situation. The following table shows a useful comparison.
| Live-in Care | Care Home |
|---|---|
| Continuing to enjoy the comforts of home, where things are familiar | Getting used to a new environment with communal living areas |
| Keeping your routine and not needing to change your current lifestyle | Changing your lifestyle, including regulated mealtimes and bedtimes |
| Enjoying genuine 1-to-1 support | Experiencing a 'one size fits all' approach |
| Living days independently | Having all outing organised for you well in advance |
| Enjoying the company of your pets | Potentially needing to re-home your pets |
Care in your home
As the table shows, care at home has a multitude of benefits over and above a residential care home and consequently, many are choosing this route. With this type of care growing in demand every year, there are lots of care businesses being established as it’s clearly a service that’s in demand. But how can you be sure you’re choosing the right home-care provider that has all the qualities needed to provide the best care for you and your family?
Choosing the right home-care provider
Choosing the right person or company to provide care and support for you ora loved one is not an easy decision. You need someone who is caring, with the right knowledge and skills, someone you can rely upon and most importantly someone whom you can trust. When considering care at home, it’s important to gather as much information as possible to make an informed decision.
What exactly is care at home?
Home care services give you the essential care and support you need to live in the comfort of your own home.
This is sometimes referred to as ‘social care’ or ‘domiciliary care’ and there are many companies offering these types of services, including Bluebird Care.
Home care means you can stay in your home, with your pets and in familiar surroundings.
Care at home can be anything from a 30-minute care visit to Live-in Care providing support to you or your loved one in their own home. It covers a plethora of support such as:
- Short care visits
- Full 24-hour care
- Live-in Care
- Companionship
- Start and end of day help
- Personal care
- Night care and support
- Outings or visiting family
- Cleaning and tidying
- Medication collection
- Mealtime support
- Complex care needs
- Everything in between
At Bluebird Care, we are passionate about keeping our customers safe, secure and happy in their own homes.
With kindness and compassion, our highly trained and trusted team deliver bespoke care packages that are tailored to individual needs. The enthusiasm and happy disposition within our care team keeps customers being themselves, doing the things they love, safe in the comfort of their own home.
We can provide care visits ranging from a 30-minute visit through to full Live-in Care and many specialist services. Take a look through our services section to find out more about how we can help support you.