Our Story: A Legacy of Care
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How a carer can help as you get older
As we get older, we all may face many health issues and concerns. Some of the most common conditions associated with aging are dementia, osteoporosis and hearing loss. While these conditions can be concerning and worrying, our carers are trained to help you. At Good Oaks Home Care we pride ourselves on our excellent level of live-in and visiting care. Our mission is to make sure our clients can live their safest, healthiest and fullest life in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible.
Our carers can help you or your loved one with a variety of tasks to make life as easy as possible, from helping to get you up and ready for the day, make breakfast and do the washing up, to helping you get out and about to get shopping, to doctors’ appointments or to see friends and family. Our respite and companionship visits are also highly requested, and our carers are always happy to visit for a cup of tea and a chat. We work hard to match carers and clients, so that everyone will have plenty to chat about.
Below you will find ten of the most common health conditions affecting older people (*as compiled by Age UK)Â and how our carers can help. To book an assessment call to see how we can help you or your loved one to lead your fullest life, please contact us via: 01202 757787 or info@goodoakshomecare.co.uk
Dementia care is a very special type of care which gives support to those with the condition to live their lives in as normal a way as possible, with independence and dignity. This kind of care requires specialist training. Dementia can be a disorienting and frightening experience, and so stability, continuity, compassion and expertise form the basis of our work providing dementia care at home.
Different forms of dementia affect everyone differently, so we believe it is important to focus on the individual and their strengths and weaknesses, rather than on the condition.
Our carers are all registered with the Dignity in Care programme and undergo a seven-point specialist dementia training course.
We work with your doctors, family and health care team to help you and ensure you are getting the right care. This can include going to appointments at the optician with you or driving you to the shops or to see family and friends. Our carers can help with tasks you may now find challenging like cleaning, food preparation or personal grooming.
Our carers are trained to work with those who are struggling with hearing loss and can help be alert for the signs. Our carers are trained to make life as easy as possible for those with hearing loss, you can find out more here.
Incontinence – Our carers are trained to help with all forms of personal care so you or your loved one can feel safe and secure. Incontinence is a widespread issue – although it is rarely spoken about, but our carers are trained to help. They are also trained to assist with changing colostomy or stoma bags as well.
Osteoporosis – As we get older, our bones lose strength, and this can lead to them being brittle and more likely to break in a fall.
Our carers can help to make sure you or your loved one is supported in their day to day lives so they don’t have to worry. This can be by assisting with tasks, so they don’t need to lift and carry items or by preparing nutritious meals to nourish and help support a healthy body and immune system.
Mental health conditions including depression and anxiety – One in three people will experience these conditions in their lives. Our companionship visits are important to help combat loneliness and help to make sure you or your loved one can have the quality of life you want. This can be by alleviating pressure to do cooking and cleaning, or by helping to get out and about or simply by connecting you to your loved ones. Our carers are trained to look for the signs of depression, anxiety or seasonal affected disorder, so we can help you or your loved one to get the help and support they need. We encourage our clients to talk about how they are feeling and always put them at the heart of our care services. We believe a good relationship between our clients and carers can help to spot the signs of declining mental health early.
Urinary tract infections –We ensure our carers know the importance of getting the right level of fluids for clients. UTIs can be very painful and so we ensure all our clients stay hydrated, with fluids on hand all day. We are also able to monitor intake levels so that we know our clients are eating and drinking well. We can be a listening ear for clients and if they have any issues, we can arrange a doctors’ appointment to get help if needed.
It can make clients feel very nervous to move or get out and about due to the pain or worries about falling. Our carers can provide peace of mind by helping you or your loved one to get out and about or do the things they want to do, like getting out into the garden, without having to worry. For us, it’s about helping you or your loved one live a full and independent life. Our carers can also help give medication for pain.
Flu – We can help you to stay safe by helping you book and go to your flu jab appointment. With Covid-19 on everyone’s minds, our protocols (which go above and beyond guidelines,) will help to keep you safe and secure from both the pandemic and winter flu bugs. We can also go and get shopping if you would like us to, so you don’t have to go to the shops if you don’t wish to. (Although if you do fancy a shopping trip, we can help with this as well!)
