Name: Live in Care
Brand: The Good Care Group
Rating: 4.6 (155 reviews)

Adapting Your Home For Care

As you get older you may find that the tasks you were previously able to complete have become a challenge. People struggling to manage their day-to-day life often become worried that this marks the end of independence in their own home. However, home care provisions such a Live In Care combined with home adaptations help people stay at home with a great level of autonomy.

By adapting your home for care you’ll be making your home work in your favour by ensuring conditions are comfortable and safe. Small changes can make a significant difference to ease of movement in the home and to your confidence in getting around it. Home adaptations alongside Live In Care contribute to better health, happiness and wellbeing; helping people remain at home for as long as possible

Spare Room

The most significant adaptation you will need to make personally is sharing your home with your live-in carer. Live In Home Carers spend the day tending to your social and medical needs making it easier for you to realise your desire to stay in your own home. Your carer will be there as you wake to help you get prepared for the day, provide assistance with bathing, showering, and getting dressed and even preparing breakfast. In order to provide immediate and continuous care, and peace of mind for both you and your family, an appropriate space is required to accommodate your Live In Carer.

The private room will be used to house your carers belongings and will be a place where they can rest and sleep when not working.

Home Adaptations

Adaptations can improve how safe and comfortable your home is. Although a Live-In Carer will be there to support you, the use of home adaptations can maximise independence for elderly and disabled people living at home.

Live-In Home Care providers not only conduct assessments of your medical needs but will also assess your home to and will recommend if a home care assessment by an Occupational therapist would be helpful ensuring home adaptations will provide you with the best outcomes.

Your Live In Care Service will be supported by a care team, this includes regional managers and care coordinators. Your care team will be tasked with liaising with doctors, district nurses, physiotherapists’ and OT’s to introduce helpful equipment into your home.

Some common home adaptations for care include:

Front Door Hand Rails & Ramps – One of the greatest benefitsof Live In Care is that it facilitates choice, meaning you can take part in community activities, see friends and family outside of the home whenever you want. For people with mobility needs, adapting the entrance of their home can make access and exit trouble-free.

Front door handrails and ramps are quick and easy to install, they can make to the process of getting in and out of your home safe and achievable on your own by providing you with the stability needed to go up and down steps with ease.

Stairlifts & Banisters – Walking up and down the stairs can cause strain and discomfort for many people and for those with greater mobility issues the staircase can prevent them from accessing the higher floors of their home.

For individuals who simply require a little extra support whilst going up and down the stairs an extra bannister rail can be added. This allows the person to place two hands on either side of the staircase, having greater control over their balance. Stair lifts are fantastic for people with disabilities and conditions that impact their mobility significantly. Stairlifts increase safety by reducing the likelihood of the person taking a fall whilst attempting to get up or down the stairs, which could result in hospital admission and greatly impact their overall health. Safety is also maximised using a stairlift as they come equipped with safety fastening, buckles and built-in mechanisms to prevent accidents, not to mention the added benefit of comfortable padded seats.

Bath Lifts & Wet Rooms – Adapting your bathroom care can make the process of bathing and showering simple and dignified.Battery power bath lifts are easy to install and use, they work by securing a mechanical seat to the bathtub. Your bath lift seat will typically move down to lower you into the bath and up to help you step out of the bath. Although assistance from a carer to get in and out of the seat or to control the mechanism of the chair may be needed, bath lifts give a person greater independence and makes the process of bathing quicker.

Wet rooms style showers are another useful bathroom adaptation. Wet rooms are typically more expensive than bath assist devices, this is because they require building work in your home in order to create a dedicated walk-in shower room. Although relatively costly, they completely eliminate the need to climb over the side of the bathtub, preventing slips and falls.

Funding

People who require extra specialist equipment to continue living safely at home may be eligible for some financial help towards home adaptations. Home adaptations are categorised into two groups:

Minor Adaptations i.e. fitting additional rails and ramps in and on your property
Major Adaptations i.e. installing a new shower room.

Most local authorities are able to cover the cost of Minor Adaptations that cost below £1000, for Major Adaptations above the £1000 threshold an application to the Disability Facilities Grant will need to be made. This grant is paid out by your local authority and requires an assessments of your needs and means. The maximum grant receivable from the Disability Facilities Grant is £30,000 in England and Scotland.

Home adaptations can greatly improve a person’s quality of life, enabling a person to rely less on the people around them by completing simple tasks safely and smoothly. Home adaptations provide the invaluable aid many elderly people require in order to live with choice, independence and confidence at home.

Looking for a Live In Care Provider? The Good Care Group is a Live-in care provider rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. We provide excellent care, support and companionship to help you continue to live safely and comfortably in your home. Find out more about live-in care by The Good Care Group by visiting / or contact us on 020 3728 7575.

Adapting Your Home For Care