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Stay at home with high quality stroke care

Whilst surviving a stroke can be life changing, it is widely recognised by many in the medical profession, that receiving stroke patient care at home can have a positive impact on a person’s rehabilitation and quality of life. Receiving compassionate stroke recovery care in the safety and familiarity of your own home has far reaching benefits in improving wellbeing for a person who has had a stroke. The one-to-one, highly personalised support we provide from a trained and well-matched carer is proven to improve not only quality of life but health outcomes for an individual following a stroke. Our flexible approach to providing high quality home care after stroke, with a fully managed and regulated service that families can trust is setting the standards in live in care for those who have experienced a stroke.

WHAT IS A STROKE?

A stroke is an attack on the brain that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. The resulting lack of oxygen to the brain causes damage that affects how the body functions, and in some cases sadly leads to death. The effects of a stroke depend on where it takes place in the brain and how damaged the area is. As we age, arteries become harder and narrower and are more likely to become blocked. Certain medical conditions and lifestyle factors increase a person’s risk of having a stroke.

There are three different types of strokes:

ISCHAEMIC STROKE

This is caused by a blockage cutting off the blood supply to the brain and is the most common type of stroke.

HAEMORRHAGIC STROKE

A Haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in or around the brain and can have catastrophic consequences.

TRANSIENT ISCHAEMIC ATTACK OR TIA

A TIA is also referred to as a mini stroke. It is the same as other strokes, except the symptoms only last for a short amount of time. This is because it is only a temporary blockage to the blood
getting to the brain.

The impact of a stroke for some people may be relatively minor and may not last long. Other people may be left with more serious problems that make them dependent on others. Recovery from a stroke can be significantly enhanced with the right level of care and support.

what-is-a-stroke

Symptoms of a stroke

Strokes occur every five minutes in the UK. They can happen to anyone at any age, at any time. It is critical to know how to spot the warning signs of a stroke in yourself or someone else. The sooner you seek medical treatment the quicker and more successful your recovery will be.

The signs that someone is having a stroke include:

  • Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, including legs, hands and feet
  • Difficulty finding words or speaking in clear sentences
  • Sudden blurred vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes
  • Sudden memory loss, confusion, dizziness or a sudden fall
  • A sudden and severe headache

Live-in stroke care and support

At The Good Care Group, we believe that people who are recovering from a stroke will do so more successfully and enjoy an improved quality of life, with as much independence as possible in their own home with high quality live-in care and support. We know how important it is for people to retain choice and control in life, and for many the desire to remain in their own home and community is essential to their recovery and overall health and wellbeing. Your own home environment is the best place to recuperate, relearn new skills and adapt to any physical limitations resulting from a stroke.

We adopt a flexible and holistic approach to after stroke care at home recognising the limitations that a person may be needing to adjust to and live with. Your professional care team will also be aware of, and sympathetic to the impact the stroke may have made on your emotional, social and psychological wellbeing and will be by your side to provide sensitive and compassionate care, as and when you need it.

Our carers are trained to understand the problems you may experience with mobility, due to muscle weakness, and will support all your needs – everything from assistance with walking and moving around, helping with personal care through to supporting you to remain active with social activities in and out of the home. We know that muscle weakness following a stroke can cause on-going pain and our carers are trained to proactively and effectively manage medications to ensure you are able to live life as pain free as possible.

WHAT DOES OUR STROKE RECOVERY CARE SERVICE INCLUDE?

Ensuring safe mobility in and around the home

Uniquely, we have an in-house Occupational Therapist, Jackie Cooper who will provide expert guidance and advice as to what equipment can help improve safe movement and mobility around your home, whilst minimising falls that are common with those
recovering from a stroke.

Specialist nurse-led care

Importantly for those recovering from a stroke, we provide nurse-led care. As with all other care services we provide all our professional carers are trained to monitor and identify any changes in your health, responding appropriately and avoiding any unnecessary hospital admissions. As part of our commitment to delivering a high-quality home care after stroke, we monitor and measure health outcomes to ensure we continually improve the care we provide.

Managing and administering medications

Our professional carers are trained in medications management and use an electronic medications system to ensure all medications are managed proactively and effectively. They will also collect prescriptions from the pharmacy.

Companionship as and when you need it

Our carers will provide companionship whilst ensuring your privacy is respected. We ensure that a perfectly matched carer shares similar values and interests to make life interesting, stimulating and enjoyable, whilst being there for you to support your emotional and psychological needs.

Providing discreet and sensitive personal care

This can include the task-orientated aspects of caring for someone, like bathing and getting dressed, but also those that promote self-esteem, like having your nails maintained, or your hair styled.

Planning and cooking meals

We understand the importance of nutrition and how appetite can change following a stroke. We work with our clients to create specialist menu plans that meet their needs and preferences. If you need help to feed yourself our carer is on hand to support,
you with this.

Facilitating social arrangements in the home

Your carer will ensure you can invite friends over for socialisation and celebrations, providing the support you need to enjoy yourself and not worry about organising anything.

Trips and visits out of the home in your local community

Our carers know how important it is to ensure you can continue to do as much you wish and that you remain connected to your local community – whether that is a stroll round the local park or attending clubs or groups in the local area or visiting friends or those shops you always have.

Domestic tasks

This includes cleaning of all rooms and vacuuming throughout to keep your house to the standards of cleanliness and tidiness you
always have.

Caring for your much-loved pet

Carers will happily support looking after your pet, including taking dogs for regular walks.

Short term care or respite care

Given the nature of stroke recovering care and the support required, we provide our specialist care after stroke service as either 24 hour live-in care, a short term care arrangement or as respite care.

With a full time, live-in care arrangement a professional carer will live with you in your home providing around the clock care and support, focused on improving your overall health and wellbeing and enhancing the quality of your life. There are many benefits of 24 hour care, not least that the carer will truly get to know you as a person, not just your care needs but they will be on hand to support you to live life the way you wish, with as much independence as possible.

Respite care or a short term arrangement provide an opportunity for a family carer to take a much needed break from caring for someone who is recovering from a stroke or for you to try live-in care for the first time to see how live-in care works and whether it is the right choice for you in the future.

Why choose The Good Care Group for stroke care at home?

There are many compelling reasons to use The Good Care Group for high quality stroke care.

Stroke Expertise

At The Good Care Group we work collaboratively with The Stroke Association, the leading charity in the UK supporting those affected by strokes, whose expertise and support enables us to deliver high standards of care to those who need stoke patient care in their own home environment.

Our professional carers are trained to support the wide ranging and varying symptoms of the condition working with our clients’ daily routines, needs, wishes and preferences.

Access to our experts

Our expert Occupational Therapist, Jackie Cooper provides our clients with the support they need to live safely and well at home, with all the equipment and any home adaptations they need to help them to live a fulling life, as independently as possible.

We work closely with and liaise with all other healthcare professionals involved in delivering care to someone recovering from a stroke, including GP’s, district nurses and physiotherapists to ensure all health needs through a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to care planning.

We have a dedicated in-house Specialist Consultant Nurse, Dr Jane Pritchard who develops, leads and supports our approach to delivering high quality care at home for those recovering from a stroke. Dr Pritchard will ensure our care teams are supported to not only effectively manage medications but are able to provide support with several complex medical inventions.

A perfectly matched care team

A live-in care service usually involves two carers working opposite each other on a rotation. They will be carefully matched working with you and your family. We make sure they are skilled and equipped to meet all your care and support needs. Our focus on matching means the care team chosen share common interests and backgrounds. We know this means life is enjoyable for everyone. Your care team really get to know you and your needs, which means you get consistency of care.

Expertly trained carers

All our professional carers are required to complete our leading training programme before they care for our clients. Our programme has been created with leading charities and clinical experts. It goes beyond mandatory requirements in the care sector. Carers are then equipped to provide high-quality care and support for those who need stroke care at home. Our carers never stop learning new skills to further enhance the care they provide.

Continuity of care

Unlike an agency we employ our carers. This means they are committed to us, as we are to them. Carers enjoy the security of being employed, which means they stay with us longer. Those who work for agencies move around more. For families this means that you get continuity and consistency of the same care team caring for your loved one. This means high-quality care can be achieved with improved outcomes and no disruption to your loved one’s life.

Innovative care technology

Unlike any other live-in care provider, we have our own online care community. Families, healthcare professionals and carers can access up to date information about the care being provided. It enables more effective monitoring, which means issues can be responded to efficiently. For our families it provides a reassuring window into the care their loved one is receiving. Our carers also use the online community to share ideas and support each other. It provides a vital connection which is important when remote working. Carers will use the online community so their clients can enjoy time online. This includes video calls with family, so they feel connected. Clients can use it to shop online or browse the web.

Improving health outcomes

Every decision we make is driven by delivering improved health outcomes for our clients. Our digital technology allows us to predict risk and shape the care we provide. We measure health outcomes. We want to know we are improving the quality of our clients’ lives every year.

Our health and well-being aim to reduce:

  • Behaviours that may challenge
  • Antipsychotic drugs in dementia care
  • Falls in the home
  • Hospital admissions
  • Re-admission to hospital
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
  • Chest infections
  • Carer stress

They aim to promote:

  • Independence
  • Well-being
  • Excellent nutrition and hydration
  • Enjoyment in life

Highest service rating from care regulators in England and Scotland

Unlike introduction agencies we are fully regulated in England and Scotland. This means the care and support we provide is regularly inspected. We are the only dedicated live-in care provider in England to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We have achieved this rating in all five measures – safe, effective, caring responsive and well-led. In Scotland, our service has been inspected by the Care Inspectorate (CI). It has achieved the highest rating of a 6 (Excellent) for quality of care and support and 5 (very good) for staffing, management and leadership. We know this provides families with peace of mind that their loved one is receiving the best possible stroke care.

A fully managed service

Families benefit from our fully managed service delivered by care experts. This means you do not need to worry about supervising and managing the carer looking after your loved one. Our professional carers are supervised by an experienced care manager and supported by clinical experts. We provide this support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your dedicated care manager will be on hand to support you, your loved one and our carer teams. We invest in our care management team to ensure they have enough time to give the support everyone needs. With our fully managed care after stroke service, families do not have the burden of managing the care arrangement themselves. We know this means families can have peace of mind, whilst enjoying quality time with their loved one. They do not have to worry about the tasks of caring.

Local teams with national coverage

We operate throughout England and Scotland with a local approach to management of our teams near you. Each dedicated care manager providing care at home is local to you and only has a small number of clients to support. This means they can provide higher levels of monitoring and support than other home care providers. It also means a highly personalised approach to care can be delivered.

Case study: Jennifer’s story of recovery following a stroke

My mum Jennifer is 74 and had been living alone at home for nearly five years. Until recently, she was a spritely and independent lady, regularly attending her local bowls club and being heavily
involved in the WI.

One day, we were out for tea together when she suffered a major stroke in front of me. She was rushed to hospital and given emergency treatment and specialist care.

After six weeks, mum was stable in her recovery and desperate to come home. Her life had changed dramatically. She was unable to stand without assistance, and certainly could not walk. Her speech had been affected and she struggled to make herself understood, even to me.

One thing that was clear was her determination to get back into her routine. That was when we approached The Good Care Group about home care after stroke. After an initial consultation, the local Care Manager did a comprehensive assessment, working with their Occupational Therapist to check that mum’s home had the adaptations and equipment she needed.

The manager handpicked two carers with previous experience of stroke recovery. Together with the support of The Good Care Group’s Occupational Therapist and liaising with the speech and language therapist, they put together a menu plan for mum – food she would like, that was also nutritious and easy to digest.

They also continue to work with the physiotherapist, and each day support mum with an exercise programme that is rebuilding her strength, one step at a time. Because they live with her, they have got to know her very well. They can understand her speech and help her find the right words and get her message across.

Six weeks after coming home from hospital, mum can now walk, slowly, but independently. She is speaking more clearly and feeling more confident in herself. With her consent, the carers invited a few friends from the WI round for a simple supper and are now planning a trip to the bowls club!

It is amazing to see the progress she has made in her recovery. There is no doubt in my mind that so much of it is down to the commitment, hard work and expertise of the team from The Good Care Group.

What is included in our service?

Our highly personalised stroke care and rehabilitation service includes:

  • Full assessment before care starts
  • Bespoke and flexible care plan developed with input from the family and other healthcare professionals
  • Matching of the most suitable care team to meet the holistic needs of our clients
  • Dedicated care team led by an expert regional care manager
  • Meal planning and household tasks
  • Social activities and lifestyle enhancement
  • Specialist support and expertise – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • Access to clinical expertise and medical support

COSTS OF CARE AFTER A STROKE

The cost of care for people recovering from a stroke will be typically higher as it is a specialist care at home service.

It is worth considering however that live in care is often cheaper than the total cost of domiciliary care for people recovering from a stroke. When a person is receiving hourly care, provided by a domiciliary care provider it is likely that you will be charged extras for additional services to support the person’s specific rehabilitation needs on top of the cost of a carer visiting. These extras add up and can become costly over time. The total cost to provide hourly care to someone living with high or complex needs can sometimes exceed the price of an inclusive live in care service.

Stroke care at home is typically in line with – and sometimes less than – what you would pay for residential care, with the added benefit of receiving one-to-one tailored care, something that cannot be achieved in a care home.

Useful resources

We are committed to supporting families through their stroke journey with information that helps inform their decisions when planning long term care. In the UK the leading charity, The Stroke Association provides information, guidance and support to those who have had a stroke and their families. They offer publications on their website for you to download, which are useful on a range of topics relating to strokes and effective recovery.

Talk to us about your stroke care needs

Our friendly and experienced team is here to help you and your family make sense of the options available to you. Call us today – we will help you every step of the way.

0203 728 7577

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