In the past, it was not always easy to access social care for older adults. Finding support in England was somewhat hit or miss, and the standard of care was not always consistent.
The Care Act of 2015 changed this situation for the better, making care and support more consistent nationwide. The act consolidated 60 years of care and support legislation, with the aim of promoting the well-being of both adults needing care and the people who care for them. It is now easier than ever for people to take control of their own care and support in order to maintain their independence.
To find care for yourself or someone you care about, you can contact Gateshead Council for an assessment. This process is something in which you will be fully involved, and if you have trouble doing this, you can have a family member or friend help you. If you are unable to find someone to do this, we can help by providing an advocate for you. If you are someone who takes care of another person, you can have your needs assessed, too, so that we can help you find support.
What is involved in a care assessment?
The first step is an initial care assessment, which will determine whether it would be helpful to perform a full assessment of your needs. You can also request a care and support review, if you are already receiving services but your situation has changed, and you believe that additional or different care would be more suitable to meet your needs. Anyone aged 18 or older who is experiencing difficulties because of a physical or mental condition can complete an assessment, but in order for you to be eligible for support, you must be unable to accomplish at least two of the following on your own:
- Maintaining and managing nutrition
- Keeping up with personal hygiene
- Handling toilet needs
- Getting dressed
- Staying safe in your home
- Keeping your home environment liveable
- Handling family and personal relationships
- Engaging in things like work, training, education, or volunteering
- Accessing facilities or services in your community
- Managing any caring responsibilities that you may have for a child
Once your Social Care Team has determined that you are eligible for social care support, the next step will be a financial assessment. This is completed to calculate the amount of financial support to which you are entitled. You will be asked questions regarding your full income, including pensions, benefits, annuities, rent from properties you own, trust fund payments, savings, stocks and shares, and property or land. Documents will be requested, to support the information you supply to the Council.
If you choose not to provide your financial details in order to complete the financial assessment, you will be responsible for the full cost of your care and support. Once your financial assessment is completed, the Council will determine the amount you will need to pay towards your own care. If you disagree with your assessed charges, you can request a review of your assessment in writing within 20 days of your Outcome Letter.
In some cases, a person may need to use the value of his or her home to pay for care in a residential setting. If this is your situation, you can be assessed to determine if you are eligible for a ‘deferred payment agreement’ that will allow you to delay repayment until you choose to sell your home, or until after your death.
What types of care are available?
There are many different support services you can arrange, either on your own or through the Council.
- Care at home allows you to maintain independence. With home care, a care worker visits your home and assists you with personal care and practical tasks. Some of the support services a home care worker can provide to you include assistance in getting in and out of bed, help with bathing and dressing, aid in eating, and whatever other support you need to live as independently as possible. You can have care during the day or engage an overnight service if that will better suit your needs. Some people need help around the house to maintain their independence. Having support for tasks like house cleaning, laundry, or errands can be invaluable when you are trying to stay in your own home. You might also find it helpful to have someone who will take you to appointments or perform other services like helping with home safety.
- It could be that some help with meals and shopping is sufficient to meet your needs. If you are having trouble getting to the shop to buy food, or you struggle to make meals, there is help available to you. Sometimes your friends, family, or neighbours will step up, helping you pick up items, taking you shopping, or helping you put away groceries when you get home. If you have a care worker, you can ask that person to help you shop or do your shopping for you. You can also make use of resources around you, taking a taxi or public transport to the shops or ordering your groceries to be delivered. Since the start of the COVID pandemic, there’s been renewed interest in online home delivery services, and this makes it much easier for people who have physical difficulties to get their groceries to the house.
- It’s not uncommon for older people or people with disabilities to have difficulty preparing meals. If this is a problem for you, you can ask for help from friends and neighbours, order food from restaurants, use the Elderly Accommodation Counsel’s service directory to find companies that provide hot meals, or use one of Gateshead’s many lunch clubs as a way to eat a nutritious meal while enjoying social interaction.
- Short-term support can help people regain their confidence or learn new skills. If you need to boost your self-confidence and regain skills necessary for living an independent life, you need support to stay home, need help transitioning from the hospital or residential care back to living at home, or have a physical disability, short-term support may be the answer. The Council provides this through a service called PRIME (People Regaining Independence by Means of Enablement). Once you’ve received PRIME services, we hope that you will no longer need support, or will need very little support. Because we know that some people will need support on a long-term basis, however, we will keep checking your progress to see how you are coping. If you still need help, we can work with you to create a care and support package to address your needs.
- Gateshead Care Call is a low-cost emergency telecare alarm and response service. For people who live alone and are older, disabled, or vulnerable, Care Call can help provide safety and promote independence. The system, which involves wearing a pendant or wristband that can alert trained service people to an emergency, provides emergency cover 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
- The Council can help you locate day services across Gateshead. There are many different day centres for people who are 65 years of age or older. Day services promote independence and allow for social interaction and making new friends. Some day centres also provide specialist dementia care, providing an opportunity to meet new people and participate in daily activities designed to help people with dementia maintain some of their independence. Using a day service can also help provide respite for someone who is caring for a loved one who needs assistance.
Recent legislation has made care and support far more consistent than it was in the past, but organising adult care services via the Council can be complicated because it is such a multi-faceted process.
If you’re looking for affordable private home care in Gateshead, Shine Care At Home is here to help. For over ten years, Shine Care At Home has been providing specialist, person-centred at-home and live-in care services for people with care needs, to give those people and their families the peace of mind that comes with knowing they’re receiving effective care at home.
Providing high-quality service based on connection, kindness, and compassion, we offer live-in care services, dementia care services, personal care services, older person companion care services and respite care services in Gateshead, exceeding standards and expectations to help our clients live their best possible lives. For more information about our services, call 0191 488 3413 or contact us today.