Glossary
Care Provider
A company who provides a care service to individuals.
Carer
Someone who looks after a person or family; usually means a partner, parent, sibling or friend, usually unpaid.
Care Home
A home providing 24-hour care for people who can no longer live in their own homes.
Client
Someone who users our services; also called a service user.
CRB
Criminal Records Bureau. Care Providers such as Somerset Care contact this body before employing new staff to check if they have any criminal convictions.
CQC
Care Quality Commission; Statutory body in England who regulate and inspect care providers such as Somerset Care to ensure compliance with regulations.
Daycare
Daycare allows people who live in their own homes to spend time in a care home setting in order to access some of the same services as permanent residents, such as meals, activities, and baths.
Dementia Care
Specialist care for people suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease or severe confusion. This can be provided in your own home or within a care home.
Direct Payments
A way of paying for care. Social Services allocates an amount of money to an individual for their care needs, allowing the individual to choose who provides their care.
Domestic Services
A service such as laundry or light housework, provided for people in their own homes by our domiciliary care staff.
Domiciliary
At home or in the home.
Extra Care Housing
A housing scheme where people live in their own flat/house whilst having the security and reassurance of care and support staff. Some schemes have staff living onsite, others have a combination of domiciliary care staff and emergency alarms.
Medication Prompting
A service provided by our domiciliary care staff, where we remind service users living in their own homes to take their medication. Medication must be in blister packs or dosset boxes.
Nurse-call system
Electronic call bell system fitted into service user bedrooms. The nurse call system allows service users to summon staff assistance when required.
Nursing Home
A care home for service users who have been assessed as needing care and supervision from Registered Nurses in order to meet their complex care needs.
NVQ
National Vocational Qualification; can be in many subjects and up to NVQ Level 5.
Personal Care
Personal care can include assistance with getting up and going to bed, washing and dressing, eating and drinking, medication or meeting social and emotional needs.
Police Check
A report on any criminal convictions undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau.
Practical Support
Support where help is given with the everyday practical things; like getting up each day, or going to the shops.
Privately Funded
A service user who pays for some or all of their care with their own money.
Publicly Funded
A service user whose care is funded by Social Services.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation means a service user working with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals to regain daily living skills. Rehabilitation services could be required following a hospital stay, a fall or an acute illness or to prevent a hospital admission. In a care home setting this may also be known as step up/step down or intermediate care.
Respite Care
Short term care (days or weeks) that can be provided by domiciliary care workers in your own home or in a care home setting, to provide a break for unpaid carers.
Safety Checks
Also called ‘Pop-In’ visits, this is a service provided by our domiciliary care staff visiting service users living in their own homes to check on their welfare and security.
Secure building/garden
Our accommodation for service users with dementia features secure areas which can only be accessed or exited using a code which is keyed into a keypad.
Service user
A health or social care term for someone who receives care.
Shopping Services
A domiciliary care service where we accompany service users to do their shopping, or do it for them.
Sitting Services
A domiciliary care service where we can sit and chat or reminisce with someone who is lonely or housebound, providing respite to allow family carers a break.
Social Services
Department of the local authority (Council) that deals with all elements of services relating to care, amongst other issues.
