Tips for Home Carers: Caring for a Loved One at Home

When caring for someone at home, you may need to help them take regular medication. You may need to remind or help the person you care for to take their medication at the correct times during the day and it is useful to keep medicines organised and employ the use of a dosette box, which has times and days of the week so you can both keep track.

It is important to keep the medication in a safe place and to check dates on the packaging, as well as speak to your GP about having a structured plan in place to regularly review the medication required for your loved one.

Be aware of the safety advice for each medication, like which over the counter products should not be taken alongside prescribed medicines. This way you can help the person you care for to take their meds safely and avoid complications.

More advice on this topic can be found on the NHS website here.

Making sure the person you care for is getting enough of the right nutrition in their diet, can help avoid malnutrition. You may need to consider their special dietary needs, or their ability to consume food and drink, depending on their specific care needs.

The person you care for may require help to prepare and physically eat their meals, and they may require different or softer textures of food. They may require a diet that is centred around specific nutritional needs, or which caters to difficulty swallowing. They may benefit from eating and drinking aids and you may also need to remind them to drink plenty to stay well hydrated.

By planning meals ahead of time and trying to incorporate their favourite foods, and by possibly employing the services of a ‘Meals on Wheels’ service, it can help to make mealtimes easier and more enjoyable for both you and your loved one.

More advice on this topic can be found on the NHS website here.

If the person you care for requires help with personal hygiene, you can help to support them by ensuring that the basics are covered. This includes regular hand washing, especially after using the toilet, keeping their face, body and intimate areas clean and bathing at least twice per week and brushing their teeth.

They may require the use of aids to help them in the bathroom or in the shower, or the help of a person such as yourself or a professional home carer if preferred. You may also need to consider assistance with things like laundry and keeping their home environment clean also, by helping yourself or employing the services of a laundry or cleaning service to make things easier and take some of the pressure off.

Carers should receive professional training to learn how to physically move and handle a person that needs assistance. They may need help around the home such getting in and out of bed or getting in and out of a vehicle, for example.

It is common for carers to become injured if moving, lifting and handling is not approached correctly and this could put you out of action making you unable to help for the foreseeable. You can contact your local authority to enquire about training courses for home carers and to also access free equipment that will help around the home.

You can also find more information and use the ‘Moving Checklist’ on the NHS website here.

There are many reasons why a person may have communication difficulties, but there are also lots of helpful resources that can make things easier. Some of the reasons for difficulties may include:

• Hearing difficulties
• Speech difficulties
• Sight difficulties
• Brain injury
• Language disorders
• Stroke recovery

You can reach out to your local health service, local authority and to other organisations and charities to get support for developing methods to deal with communication difficulties. More information about a wide range of resources to try can be found on the NHS website here.

When a person you are caring for displays behaviour which could be determined as challenging, such as harming themselves or others, aggression, destructiveness or even sexual behaviour, you can ask for support to help deal with challenging situations.

Being aware of what triggers disruptive behaviour can help to reduce the occurrences and help the person you care for feel safer, such as reducing instances of being near large groups of people which could make them feel anxious, for example.

As a carer you can ask for support from professionals and there are also support groups available to help you manage and share your experiences with others. You should be aware of what to do in situations where you may feel the need for restraint for the person you care for, to prevent harm to themselves or people around them and what to do when supporting them to make decisions if they do not have the mental capacity to do so.

As well as seeking support from family, friends, professionals and support groups, you can find out more about this topic and seek help via the NHS website here.

If the person you care for is no longer able to live independently at home, you may start to consider inviting them to live with you. Things to consider in this instance, include some legal and financial considerations such as carers allowance, paying council tax and if you or the person you care for receive any financial support, then you should contact your local authority to let them know about changes in circumstance and to ask for additional help where required.

There are also practical considerations such as accessibility and how your day-to-day home life may affect you and other people in your home. You should strongly consider this type of commitment before actioning any plans and upon moving your loved one into your home. You may also wish to discuss ground rules and boundaries with them, as they are likely to be upset about giving up their independence and privacy and it is a good idea to discuss potential issues before they arise.

To find out more and seek support for the legal, financial and practical implications of caring for someone in your home, visit the NHS website here.

There are lots of resources available to help you support and care for someone at home. Depending on your circumstances and the care needs of your loved one, you can put together a plan and include support where required to help deal with the day-to-day elements of that person's care, as well as support for yourself as their carer.

You may feel that things like personal care and medication management require the help of a professional home carer, or that mealtimes would be made easier with the help of a meal delivery service, for example. With the right support in place, it will help to relieve the stress and worry around caring for someone you love, and it will help you both to take advantage of all the support available.