PERSONAL CARE
For many people day-to-day tasks can become overly strenuous and cause frustration or even injury. But there is no need to struggle alone. Personal care services could give you the extra help you need.
At Bannister In Home Care, we work with clients and families to rediscover and continue independent life at home.
Most of us will reach a point where our once simple morning rituals become more challenging than we’d like. Day-to day activities like showering or dressing may become exhausting to the point that you may have to abandon them altogether.
Feeling in control of your personal hygiene and appearance is critical to self-esteem and confidence. While family members may be able to help in the short-term it is rarely an arrangement that can keep everybody happy and healthy in the long run. This is where professional personal care services come in.
Personal care services cover all facets of living at home, including everything from general assistance to more complex needs.
Personal care services may include:
Oral care
Toileting
Grooming
Showering
Continence assistance
Assistance with eating
Dressing and undressing
General mobility
Personal care services are not always permanent arrangements. A great example of a more temporary arrangement is post-injury or home help after surgery. If an otherwise mobile relative or loved one happens to have a fall and you aren’t able to supply full time care during the recovery process, a respite carer can provide that extra peace of mind until they’re back on their feet.
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The first step in setting up professional personal care services is always to involve and discuss the service with the person who will receive the care. It can be an unnerving step to have a stranger involved in private ablutions or day-today routines so it is of paramount importance that everybody is in agreement from the get go.
At Bannister In Home Care we begin the process with a free face-to-face consultation with one of our care coordinators. During this consultation, we’ll discuss issues, concerns and needs with both the person receiving care and also any family members that wish to be involved.
Together we will to come to an agreed solution with input from all. It’s important to remember that this is a changeable blueprint, and can grow and evolve along with any new developments in health and functionality.
It’s also important to remember that this consultation does not require or expect any further commitment if that is what is decided is best for all involved.
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Perhaps the most important aspect of personal care is the impact that it can have on a care recipient’s wellbeing. It can be an upsetting realisation that we might need a little support to manage a basic need, but it is often liberating once put in place.
Increased self-esteem
As our clients begin to accept having somebody around to assist at this vital and private start of their day, we see renewed self-esteem. Clients who have recently taken on personal care services approach social encounters with enthusiasm, confident that their basic needs are again being looked after.
More social interaction
From a social perspective we often also see additional positives in the client’s connection with our carers. As the first and last person they will see in the day clients often form a great bond with their carers and enjoy the encounters every day. To encourage this we always look to match complementary personalities.
When plans are appropriately put in place the increased confidence and reduced isolation have a flow-on effect to all facets of client health and well-being, which is shared by once-concerned family.
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Often it’s the simple things like an inability to properly wash between toes or dry those difficult to reach spots that lead to big problems. Especially when concerning seniors, these issues unchecked can snowball into serious infections, or reach a critical point where a fall or other accident occurs.
A second pair of hands to help with these basic activities can prevent any decline in health before it’s too late, while also giving back confidence and control over personal health, hygiene and appearance. It can also avert more permanent and stressful lifestyle changes such as residential care, which may have to be resorted to if the home situation declines.
It is often a good idea to start conversations around personal care support early, to give everybody involved time to come round to the solutions available.
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At Bannister In Home Care we are the industry leaders of person-centred care. We set ourselves apart through our tailored personal approach to all of our care services.
Person-centred care
We’re not interested in shoehorning clients into predetermined boxes or programs, as every situation and person is unique. That’s why we work with each client in order to work out exactly what they need – then provide it to the highest standard. What you choose on any given day and hour is totally up to you, it’s that flexible.
Positive relationships
It’s a core part of our values that all relationships between us as service provider and you the user, should be respectful and positive. This perspective is shared by our entire team, from management through to carers on the front line. All of our personal care assistants embody the traits of sensitivity and trustworthiness, along with being highly trained.