How do I know if my loved one needs some support?
It’s always best to seek advice if you notice that your loved one is finding everyday tasks more difficult, such as getting dressed, cooking or climbing the stairs. You may notice a pile of unopened post, or that they are bathing less frequently, or living in an uncharacteristically untidy home. Ask yourself if their health has declined overall and/or if they are forgetting important things that keep them safe, such as closing windows or turning off the oven. Has their interest in socialising and hobbies decreased?
You might not know how concerned to be about your observations. Age UK has developed a useful tool to help you to assess your worries. The above is not an exhaustive and conclusive list, but is designed to raise questions to consider about your loved one’s health and wellbeing.
You can view additional information here:
Once we decide support is needed, what are the options available to us?
There are two main options to consider – care at home, or moving to a residential care home. It is a common misconception that everyone who needs day-to-day help will need to move into a care home. 1st Homecare supports people to remain in their own homes to continue living independent lives, where it is possible.
What sort of home care support do you provide? Is it short or long term?
1st Homecare is a specialist provider of personalised care at home in Scotland. We can help you or your loved one with: personal care and support, specialist support, social care, short term support after a hospital stay, support with short breaks for family carers or end of life care. Our service is completely personalised so we can help you or your loved one with visits to meet their support needs from early morning to late evening.
Who do you support, and how do I know I am eligible for support?
We are registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide support to adults of all ages across all of our services. In our Falkirk service we are also registered to provide support to children.
Who do I need to contact to arrange care for myself or a loved one?
In the first instance, contact social services who will assess your support needs and if applicable, whether you are eligible for free personal care. If you are looking for a private support services, then please do contact your local area office. If you qualify for self-directed support, then you may have the option to choose your own care at home provider.
Will my loved one see the same Support Worker on each visit?
You will have a choice in who provides your service; we carefully match staff to ensure we meet the needs of the people we support. Whether you always see the same Support Worker will depend on the service we are providing. For example, if you receive daily visits then it may not be possible to see the same person every day, but we do all we can to keep the number of support workers you see to a minimum so you can build strong relationships with your team. Where you have multiple visits throughout the week, we will work to develop a team of staff who will regularly support you.
Do my circumstances affect the type of care I can receive and how I pay for care?
Depending on your circumstances and what type of care you or your loved one needs, you might not need to pay! Adults in Scotland who have been assessed by their local authority as needing help with personal care, are entitled to this for free. If you also need other support then you may need to pay for this.
Age Scotland has created a factsheet to explain how your care needs are assessed and how payments work.
You can view this information here:
What is classed as personal care, and how do I know what type of care I need?
Personal care includes support with mealtimes, personal hygiene, getting dressed, taking medication and general wellbeing. Personal care does not include support with housework, laundry or shopping.
What skills, qualifications and registrations do your staff have?
All of our support workers are fully vetted via references and Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks. Our staff are highly trained through recognised qualifications and they undertake service specific training and supervisions on an ongoing basis. As a minimum, we require support workers to have SCQF Level 6. Our staff must either be registered with the Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC), or be willing to register within six months of joining us. They are all committed to the SSSC Codes of Practice. Our team are dedicated to developing and practicing the skills that enable the people we support to maintain their independence and wellbeing.