All too often people consider elderly care in response to an accident, illness or significant decline in health which can result in decisions having to be made under extreme pressure and at short notice. It is therefore encouraged that individuals and their families consider elderly care options at the earliest stage possible. Planning never does any harm and ensures that people remain in control of choices regarding care to the greatest extent possible.
The circumstances of each individual and family are different and it is important that any chosen care option is optimal for their specific needs today and in the future. Elderly care options available in Yorkshire include:
Home care (hourly or live-in) - wide ranging care services offered in the comfort and familiarity of an individual’s own home
Residential care home - accommodation, meals and personal care provided in a communal environment
Residential nursing home - accommodation, meals and personal care in a communal environment with nursing care and qualified nurses in attendance
Assisted living - also referred to as extra care housing, care villages or close care housing, these facilities typically comprise apartments / bungalows with flexible care / support available on-site
Sheltered / retirement housing - typically apartments with an on-site warden and alarm system, but no care provision
Respite care - short-stay care, either in the form of home care or residential care, providing family member(s) or existing carer(s) with a break from caring for loved ones
In considering elderly care options many people prefer to receive a personalised care at home service rather than having to move into institutional residential care. Key reasons for this include:
Facilitate a personalised service of care specifically tailored to the needs of the individual
Retain full control over daily routines - what to eat, drink and do during the day; when to socialise; when to pursue hobbies; when to wake up or go to bed
Enjoy the comforts of home and continue to be surrounded by the things with which you are familiar and treasure
Friends and family able to visit at any time
Couples able to remain together, in each other’s company for longer
Remain close to other loves such as pets
Retain the maximum amount of independence possible in daily life enabling home carers to promote mental and physical well-being
Often a flexible, affordable alternative to residential care options
In particular, 24-hour live in care is an increasingly popular option for elderly people in Yorkshire. At Carefound Home Care we provide an individually tailored live in care service whereby home carers will support an elderly individual or couple on a one-to-one basis. This can encompass anything from basic domestic support, companionship, personal care, medication help through to supporting people with more complex conditions such as dementia. Our award winning service ensures that elderly people are able to remain in the comfort of their own home for longer, supported by our round-the-clock team including professional, specially-trained home carers and a local, expert management team.
Oliver Stirk is a Director at Carefound Home Care (www.carefound.co.uk) which is a provider of high quality specialist home care services to elderly people in North Yorkshire, enabling clients to continue to live independently in the comfort of their own home whilst maintaining the highest quality of life achievable.
Their professional team of home carers provides a wide range of home care services including basic help in the home, companionship, personal care, medication help, post-operative rehabilitation, respite care and specialist help such as dementia care and palliative care.
The flexible service ranges from 1 hour to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays, and can also encompass 24-hour live-in care services.