Live-in care is the safer option
The recent pandemic has highlighted the potential risk that care home settings pose to elderly residents. At The Good Care Group we are always looking for opportunities to improve our clients quality of life and even more so during these unprecedented times.
A recent survey by the Live-In Care Hub found that 29.3% of care home residents deaths were related to COVID-19 compared to live-in care where only 0.17% of deaths were attributed to COVID-19 or a related illness.
Here at The Good Care Group we are proud to say we have had a 0% rate of infection, transmission or death within our client and carer community as a result of the strict infection control measures implemented at the beginning of the pandemic.
There’s nowhere better than home
We have experienced some wonderful stories about our clients following their return home after a stay in a care home setting. . Our Occupational Therapist, Jackie Cooper, shared two recent case studies illustrating the benefits of the home as the place to be.
Case Study 1
Mrs M is a 92 year old lady with Vascular dementia and also experiences poor eyesight. One year ago she had a fall whilst living on her own at home. She was admitted to hospital and then discharged to a care home.
Her Power of attorney felt, acting in Mrs M’s best interests, felt that Mrs M was not happy in the care home and that she was becoming isolated and low in her mood. Mrs M regularly shared her wishes of wanting to return home with her friend. As a result, Mrs M’s Power of Attorney contacted The Good Care Group to see whether live-in care would be appropriate.
As part of the initial assessment, The Good Care Group’s Occupational Therapist visited Mrs M in the care home. She was sitting in the dining room with her eyes closed. When questioned, care staff reported that Mrs M kept her eyes closed most of the time, seemed very disoriented and either wanted to stay in the dining room or her bedroom. Mrs M did not mix with the other residents or participate in any of the daily activities. She seemed to find the noise and bustle of the care home environment very overwhelming and reacted by shutting down and closing her eyes. The care home environment was not to Mrs M’s preference and was having a detrimental effect on her mental health and wellbeing. It was decided that Mrs M should return home and be supported by a live-in carer.
The Occupational Therapist worked with Mrs M’s Power of Attorney to get Mrs M home. This involved the rearrangement of furniture and organising Mrs M’s belongings, so the room could accommodate Mrs M’s new living arrangements. A profiling bed and riser recliner chair were hired and additional rails and equipment were sourced, including a high backed chair for the kitchen table.
Once the home adjustments had been made, Mrs M moved back home with her live-in carer. Following a settling in period, Mrs M responded well to being back at home, spending more time alert and engaged with her carer. She was able to find her way around her home with assistance and enjoyed time in the kitchen, occasionally helping with meal preparation. Mrs M became less disorientated and enjoyed being back in a familiar environment.
A year on Mrs M continues to be cared for by her live-in carer and her quality of life has improved considerably, her mood has lifted and she is once again engaged with her life.
Case Study 2
Mrs B had recently moved to a property next to her son and daughter in law. Unfortunately Mrs B had several falls and was no longer safe to be left on her own at the property. Her son was very concerned that she would not be able to stay safely in her home and arranged for respite care at a care home whilst he explored other homecare options.
Mrs B was very keen to stay in her own home but due to her dementia had limited understanding of her risk of falls or why she couldn’t stay at home by herself.
Prior to going into the care home Mrs B was spending most of her time sitting on her bed, as this was the nearest place to the toilet and where she felt safest. She was becoming withdrawn and isolating herself from her family, as she didn’t want to be a burden to them.
Mrs B’s son approached The Good Care Group to see whether live-in care would be appropriate. The assessment indicated that with the correct care team and slight changes to her environment to reduce the risk of falls, Mrs B could be cared for in her bungalow and she could begin to enjoy her home again.
Mrs B is now back home with her live-in carer and spending more time in her lounge and kitchen. Her carer’s are encouraging her to engage in day to day activities which she is responding to. She has had no falls since her return home, appears less anxious and is continuing to enjoy the company her live-in carer provides.
Conclusion
The statistics regarding the effect the recent pandemic has had on care home residents is deeply saddening, but unfortunately the numbers are a realistic insight into the damage that has been caused.
The Good Care Group are proud to be offering a safer alternative with award-winning live-in care. We are the only live-in care provider to be judged ‘Outstanding’ in all five categories for being safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive.
The heart warming examples of what a home environment can bring to a client highlights the real benefits of a familiar, family surrounding being supported by professional live-in carers.
At The Good Care Group we understand there’s nowhere better than home so for more advice on the life changing, award winning care we provide across England and Scotland please contact
Client Services – 0808 2784 667 – clientservices@thegoodcaregroup.com
The Good Care Group
The Good Care Group was founded in the UK in 2009 with a vision of becoming the leading provider of high-quality home care services that enable people to continue to live comfortably in their homes for longer. The Good Care Group delivers live-in care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Care is delivered in the homes of people ranging from those who can’t quite manage to look after themselves and need companionship, to those dealing with debilitating or serious health conditions and need assistance to live independently.
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