What Does Care for Young Adults Mean?
When people mention care, we often think of homes for the elderly or health issues such as dementia that need support from a professional nurse or healthcare provider. The truth is that there are plenty of young adults (those between the ages of 18 and 65) out there who need support in their lives for one reason or another.
Providing good quality care and support allows people with conditions ranging from autism to cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy to remain independent and live their lives as fully as possible.
The first thing to understand is that no one should be defined by their condition. Whether you have muscles that have atrophied, are challenged by a learning difficulty or are coming to terms with a severe spinal cord injury, the world shouldn’t be closed off to you.
Support is all about allowing the individual to flourish and this is an area of care that has changed quite dramatically over the last couple of decades. Any carer working with young adults must understand the boundaries and have respect for the individual they are helping to support.
The main role of the carer is to enable the individual to live well, whether that’s something as simple as assisting someone with cleaning their home or providing support getting out and about to a concert or other public event.
Work and Study
Supporting young adults who require care nowadays includes making it easier for them to go to work and earn a living or study for something like a university degree.
A carer in these circumstances will help with a lot of different things such as getting to and from lectures and navigating around campus as well as perhaps preparing meals. In the workplace, a personal assistant can get someone to work or enable them to do certain tasks they are not able to complete without some sort of support.
Just because there are challenges it doesn’t mean work and study should be out of reach for anyone. With the right support, anything is possible. And carers and young adults who need care around the UK are finding ingenious ways to live life to the full.
Taking a Break
Just because someone has a condition such as cerebral palsy, it doesn’t mean fun things like holidays and trips abroad should be out of reach. With a personal assistant, there’s no reason a person can’t get out and about. With a little ingenuity, most hurdles and challenges can be overcome. Many towns and cities nowadays, especially in Europe, cater for those with mobility issues or specific care needs. That includes hotels and transportation networks.
Working Out Tailored Care
The days of a one size fits all solution when it comes to care have thankfully long since passed. Nowadays, it’s all about understanding the needs of the individual and putting them at the centre of any care package that is developed.
Someone with a condition such as Crohn’s Disease, for example, may only need care when they are suffering from a flare-up. Another person with autism might require help to cope with certain situations. Others might need a full-time personal assistant who is always with them.
Adapting the Home
One of the key factors in living independently is making sure that any home has all the facilities that are needed. The care team, including occupational therapists, assess the living environment in collaboration with the individual and make changes so that living is more independent.
Needing care doesn’t mean that an individual is incapable. That goes whatever their condition, whether they have Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis or autism or something else. We all want to feel valued in today’s society and have independence and there’s no reason why that can’t be achieved with the right support.
If you would like to find out more about how to get support for your loved one, contact us at Wessex Care or visit our Useful information page for details of other local support organisations.
