Care in Old Age - Types of Care

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Care in old age - Types of Care

Social services might suggest special equipment to make life easier, e.g., grab rails and bathroom aids and services, such as, a home help, meals-on-wheels, care assistance (such as someone calling each morning to help you get washed and dressed), home visits from the community nurse and a place at a day centre. In 1997, 23 households in every 1,000 in the 75 to 84 age group received home care.

Social services cannot force you to move, but they might suggest it as something worth considering. For example, you could move to sheltered housing with a resident warden available to give emergency assistance, or to a bungalow, say, if you have trouble with stairs, or somewhere closer to relatives who can help.

Again, you cannot be forced to go into a home, and social services will generally try to help you stay in your own home for as long as possible. If their recommendation is that you move into a residential or nursing home, you will need to be realistic about your ability to carry on if you are determined to stay in your own home. Where possible, you will be offered a choice of homes, though, if the local authority is paying in full for you, cost will be a constraint.

If your local authority is paying the full cost of your living in a residential or nursing home, it sets a limit on the fees it will normally pay. Most local authorities base their limits on a national scale used for income support purposes, though they have the discretion to set different amounts. If you want to live in a home that has higher fees, you will need to top up the maximum the authority will pay, e.g., through the help of relatives or a charity.

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