Help at Home Services
These services can provide support for older people or people with mental health issues, physical disabilities or dementias so that they can continue living independently at home.
Guideposts in Gloucester offers a specialist support service to people living at home. It can provide support workers who enable individuals to live independently and safely. The care offered is person-centred, which means that the practical tasks are not the only focus of the visit, the cared-for-person’s feelings of influence over their life and dignity are just as important. Therefore the care is carried out with the cared-for-person and not for them and visits are tailored to individual’s needs and personal preferences. We encourage people to get involved which helps them to maintain their skills, their sense of wellbeing and confidence. We can help with the following activities:
- light cleaning duties ie. vacuuming, dishwashing, dusting
- laundry
- assistance with personal care and dressing
- assistance with shopping
- preparation of meals
- administering some medications
- assistance in attending appointments
- assistance in attending social events
- sitting service to provide respite to carers
The service is provided for all areas within Gloucestershire for any adults aged 18 or over. Help at Home page of the Guideposts Trust website.
Other Help at Home options
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) can provide a list of domiciliary services – help at home. The CQC is the independent regulatory body of health and social care in England.
Live-In Carers
It may be an option to have a home care provider who lives with the person with dementia in their home. This can be a good alternative to going into a residential care home, as there is less disruption and can also provide some reassurance to family who may live some distance away. The United Kingdom Home Care Association can provide information about live-in carers.
Meals Delivered to Your Home
A hot meal delivered to your home everyday can be an excellent idea if you don’t feel like cooking for yourself or if cooking safely has become a problem. Community Meals via Gloucestershire County Council (Your Circle) could be an option or you could arrange for frozen ready meals through an organisation like Wiltshire Farm Foods, these can be heated through ready to eat. A care support worker could do this and assist with eating if necessary.
Shopping Delivery Services
For some carers, or people with dementia living alone, it may be useful to have groceries delivered directly to your home, rather than having to make trips out to get these. However for other people popping out to get the grocery shopping may be an important part of your routine, that gives you a reason to get out and about.
If you do think home delivery or home shopping for groceries would be useful to you, it may be worth enquiring whether any of your local shops offer a delivery service, and whether there is any charge for this.
Most other supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, etc.) now offer online shopping that is delivered to your door. You can also shop online for almost anything to be delivered to your door - try using a Google UK search to locate the item or shop that you want.
