Home care assistance encompasses a variety of different services that support older people to live independently at home.
Although different terminology, it’s actually quite similar to home care and works well for individuals who need a little bit of extra help around the house.
In this article we explore home care assistance, what it means and who would benefit from using it.
Here’s a summary of what we cover in this article:
- Home care assistance is for anyone who needs some help to remain living independently and comfortably in their home, rather than moving to a residential care home.
- It can involve many tasks, ranging from personal care to domestic help.
- Home care assistance is often referred to as home care or domiciliary care.
What is home care assistance?
Home care assistance is usually the term for having a carer, or team of people, who attend to an individual’s needs in their own home.
They will mostly help with tasks that are tricky to manage independently, such as support with washing and getting dressed, or support to get out and about.
But that isn’t all there is to it.
Home care can encompass everything from cooking and domestic work, right up to 24 hour a day nursing care.
Who can have home care assistance?
Anyone who needs care or any help to live well while they remain in their own home can have home care.
Those with some physical or mobility issues might find domestic help useful, especially if housework is no longer easy to manage alone.
Washing and ironing clothes and linens can be quite a job, so this is something that a home carer might be asked to do.
Doing grocery shopping and cooking, or arranging meals to be delivered are also useful tasks for people with some limitations.
Home care assistance is often referred to as home care or domiciliary care.
What is included in home care assistance?
A number of different tasks can be included within home care assistance:
- Personal care such as washing or getting dressed
- Running errands
- Light housekeeping
- Help with shopping
- Support preparing meals
Or it can just be someone who stops by for a cup of tea and a friendly chat to provide some companionship.
For more information you can read what is domiciliary care? or our guide on home care visits.
Booking home care
Home care can be arranged in a flexible way to suit you or your loved one’s specific needs.
Sweet Pea can match you with trusted carers in your local area. Use our personalised search service now.
Who provides home care assistance?
Typically, home care assistance is provided by agencies that are regulated by the CQC.
Learn more about what is the CQC and their role in regulating home care in our guide.
Alternatively, self employed carers can provide home care services.
Organisations also specialise in companion care and befriending services.
Worried about your loved one?
Is it the same as having a home help?
A home help is similar to home care assistance – they both encompass help given at home.
Home helps duties might include running errands, such as grocery shopping, or going to the post office.
However, they don’t typically provide personal care such as help with getting washed and dressed.
This is also true of help for the elderly at home.
Interested in home care?
If you or a loved one need a little bit of extra help around the house then home care might be right for you.
It can be arranged in a flexible way to suit you or your loved one’s specific needs.
Sweet Pea can match you with trusted carers in your local area. Just enter your care details and we’ll do the rest.
Use our personalised search service now.