Let’s talk about home care. Having a care worker in your corner can alleviate an immeasurable amount of stress and anxiety in your life. Individuals struggling to live on their own due to health or functionality challenges can have their lives, as well as the lives of their loved ones, significantly improved through tailored supported living services. Continue reading as we break down what supported living is, how it can help, and how to know if your loved one may need these services.
For personalised advice, contact our team at myCare today.
What is Supported Living?
Supported living is all about helping protect and raise a person’s quality of life no matter how their health or function could be impacting their lives. This is achieved by providing essential assistance and support to keep them living comfortable, safe, and fulfilling lives in their own home. Often used as an alternative to care facilities and nursing homes, supported living delivers crucial care while maintaining dignity and independence.
Supported living sees a care worker offering various services to better the health and well-being of an individual struggling to live alone at home. This can provide a wonderful peace of mind for a person’s loved ones, who can be sure that the person they care about is receiving all the support and care that they need.
What Kinds of Services Can a Care Worker Provide?
The term ‘supported living’ is actually quite broad. It’s impossible to paint a definite picture of what these services look like because every situation is entirely unique. No two individuals are the same – even when facing the same disability, condition, or situation, they are going to have individual needs and preferences. Supported living is this tailored, wholly customisable service that provides assistance that will best benefit the individual. What a care worker offers is going to depend on what challenges a person is facing in their home.
For some, the biggest challenge of independent living is household tasks. Maintenance around the house, cooking for themselves, keeping their space clean and sanitary – these are all examples of things that can become challenging as needs change. Your supported living care worker will be able to provide assistance across these tasks to help keep a high quality of life in the home. For other individuals, their needs may be more personal, needing help with medications, going to the toilet, washing, or other essential care.
Ultimately, the only way to know if a supported living care worker can help with something specific is to ask. Here is a quick list of common services offered through myCare supported living:
- Housework support
- Meal preparation
- Shopping and errands
- Management of household bills
- Physical exercise
- Assistance around the home, such as gardening
- Help with laundry
- Personal care such as getting dressed, using the bathroom, or washing
- Keeping a routine for medication
- Planning and attending appointments or social activities
- And much, much more!
Signs a Loved One May Need Supported Living Assistance
It’s hard to know when to step in and help a loved one out. Often, people will find that those they care about are hesitant to ask for help. They may insist that they’re fine, hide their struggles at home, or not even realise that things have become too hard for them. So, at times, it can be up to their loved ones to recognise when supported living services could be needed. Here are a few signs to look out for in those you love that could suggest assistance is necessary:
Deterioration of Health
If you notice big changes in your loved one’s health, it is worth addressing. These include physical changes such as mobility, balance, and coordination as well as cognitive function. Confusion, memory loss, and disorientation can all be just as dangerous.
Home Environment Changing
A clear signal that independent living has become a challenge is when a person’s house has started to be impacted. If the space is more cluttered, unsanitary, or unsafe to live in than you remember it being before, something may need to change.
Changes in Behaviour
Sometimes, things just seem ‘off’. If you feel like your loved one is behaving differently, something bigger may be going on. You could also notice symptoms just as mood swings, anxiety, frustration, or depression.
Struggles With Personal Care
You may notice changes in personal hygiene or that your loved one is struggling with daily tasks that are essential to regular life. This includes housekeeping, cleaning, taking medication, attending appointments, preparing healthy meals, and more.
Contact myCare to Learn More About Supported Living
Moving into care facilities and nursing homes isn’t everyone’s first preference. Where possible, staying in a comfortable environment with personal routines in place can be extremely impactful on someone’s health and state of mind. If you or a loved one could benefit from supported living, myCare is ready to help out. Contact us today to chat with a friendly team member and ask any questions about our services.
