Here we will look at personalisation in care. Are older people getting what they want from their care? What roadblocks are in the way to achieving personalisation in care? What can we do to empower people to choose how they live their lives whilst getting the level of care that they need?
What is personalisation in care?
Personalisation in care creates a more inclusive society. It recognises that everyone is an individual, regardless of needs and circumstance. It enables people to continue to live their lives how they want and to do the things they once used to take for granted – such as using public transport and accessing basic public services.
Personalisation in care allows those that need care and support to do what others do without a second thought.
What do older people want from their care?
Older people who need care want to remain central to their care plan and in control to live life how they want. They want the freedom to do what they’ve always enjoyed.
They need high quality care at the same time and the support structure needs to be there to help them stay well and recover quickly if they do require special treatment for an illness or injury.
They need to be able to be active and to design their own support packages and lifestyles. No one knows what an individual wants more than that person and their family.
The vast majority want to stay in their own home. To live a normal life.
What are the issues the care industry faces?
Covid-19 has been a huge challenge. Vulnerable people in care who have relied on activities such as day centres, support groups, and specific events in the community for their social interaction and emotional wellbeing suddenly had these taken away in lockdown. This caused added stress not just for the patient but for carers too.
There also needs to be a shift in mindset across the industry in general. Care packages need to be more flexible with the person in need of care at the centre of the plan, taking into account not just their care needs but also their lifestyle choices. There’s no one solution fits all.
What can we do to improve personalisation in care?
Care workers should feel empowered to support people in creative ways. This is what older people in care crave and at the moment it’s not happening to a sufficient level. The system needs to provide carers with the flexibility they need to care for individual patients based on their specific care plans. There needs to be choice about how they spend their days but without this ingrained into the wider care system, it’s not going to come to fruition quickly enough for those who need a better quality of life now.
Of course given the current situation with Covid-19 there are limitations as to how quickly we as an industry can create meaningful change, but at Promedica24 we’ve been campaigning for vast changes across the care system since long before the pandemic.
We’re not just striving to improve the quality of care on offer, we’re steadfast in changing how those in need of care and their families can access information. They need to know their options and the different types of care available to make the right decisions for their loved ones.
Personalisation in care shouldn’t be an aspiration, it should be an expectation. That’s what we want to achieve across the board whether someone needs adult social care or a live-in care service like our own.
Personalisation of care in live-in care
Our live-in care services focus on what we know older people want:
- Choice to live life on their terms
- Freedom to live a ‘normal’ life
- To be treated with dignity and respect
- Access to information
- Access to support quickly and easily when needed
- To avoid the need for a crisis response such as a stay in hospital
- To maintain their independence
- To stay in their own home
By nature of providing live-in carers to live with our clients our services provide the majority of these benefits automatically, but there’s still a lot more we do to make sure each person receives truly personalised care.
You can find out more about our services here.
With our live-in care services, personalisation is very much fact not fiction and hopefully soon the entire care industry will be able to offer the choice, freedom and independence more people crave, regardless of the type of care that they opt for. To find out more about the different types of care available in the industry, you can find out more here – Elderly Care at Home: Your Options.
