It’s only natural that you have questions

Combining independent living with person-centred support can be a really good option for people with learning disabilities. It enables them to have their own space and be their own person, whilst receiving the learning disabilities support they need from their visiting care team in their own home. This combination of independence and expert support is often referred to as supported living.

The cost of supported living for learning disabilities is calculated by adding up living costs (such as rent, household bills and groceries) and the cost of the individual’s bespoke package of learning disability care. Depending upon the individual’s circumstances, they may be eligible for financial assistance with one or both of these elements of their total supported living expenses. They may also meet the criteria for Extra Care Housing (ECH) through their Local Authority, which consists of self-contained accommodation, such as an accessible flat or bungalow, within a supported housing scheme, with 24/7 on-site support staff available.

There is no single approach to caring for people with learning disabilities, as a learning disability can affect different people in different ways, and with a different severity of symptoms.

Someone with a mild learning disability may only need minimal support to live a full and fulfilling life, perhaps assistance with securing employment or a voluntary placement, or help to understand and manage their household bills. By contrast, someone with a severe or profound learning disability may need round-the-clock, specialist learning disability care to manage all aspects of their daily life.

As a result of this, there are a wide variety of services available for learning disabilities. These can include everything from positive behaviour support to manage behaviours that challenge, to assistance transitioning from child to adult learning disability care services, or help to enable an adult with learning disabilities to make the move from hospital to a home of their own. There is also specific support available to assist individuals with daily tasks, with building life and social skills, and with short-term emergency support to help safely navigate a period of personal crisis.

All person-centred learning disabilities support services aim to build confidence, independence and life skills, supporting people with learning disabilities to live the life they choose.

Like all specialist care, learning disability support should be person-centred and tailored to the unique requirements of the individual, taking into account the tasks that they find challenging, as well as their ambitions and preferences in life. This is not so much of an adjustment to care, as an individually-tailored learning disabilities support plan which is designed to meet specific needs.

Caring for people with learning disabilities in their own home is about enabling and empowering them to live the life they choose – helping them to build the skills and confidence they need to become more independent, feel more in control of their life choices, and better able to communicate their needs and preferences.

By understanding the individual as a person, rather than a diagnosis, and using proactive, positive behaviour support, specialist learning disability care has the potential to empower, transform and change lives for the better.

Some lifetime health insurance policies can provide financial support towards the cost of home care, however, this varies according to the specific policy and the provider.

If it is important to you that your health insurance policy makes provision for your later care needs, it may be worth contacting your insurance provider to confirm in what circumstances your policy would pay out, should you need it to.

Non-medical home care is a package of support for those who need a little extra help to remain safe and independent in their own home, regardless of any medical conditions which they may or may not live with. Examples of non-medical home care include support for vulnerable adults, companionship for the elderly, household help for families with children or relief for family carers.

All Somerset Care home care services are open to anyone who needs them, regardless of age or medical conditions.

Hospice home care is specialist care for those nearing the end of their life, and wishing to remain in their own home.

All of the care we provide is person-centred and tailored to your individual needs and wishes. We know that time spent with loved ones in familiar surroundings is precious, and our home care teams are dedicated to providing high-quality, reliable, consistent, and compassionate end-of-life care.

Regardless of how your care will be funded, you will need a care assessment to apply for home care.

The purpose of the assessment is to understand your individual care and support needs, as well as get to know you as a person. This enables your home care team to understand what is important to you, and what you are hoping that your care package will enable you to achieve.

Your care assessment will provide the blueprint for the home care services you need, ensure that your chosen home care provider can meet your needs, and is the first step to arranging a care package that will enable you to thrive in your own home.

The way you access home care packages may depend upon who will pay for the care and support you need.

If you are a self-funder and are covering the full cost of your home care, you have complete freedom to choose the home care provider and home care package which suits you. It can be overwhelming to try and narrow down the range of apparently similar home care services on offer, but thankfully there are several independent resources which you can turn to for an unbiased perspective on the care on offer.

For the assurance that your chosen home care provider has been assessed as delivering safe and high-quality care, look to industry regulators the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC regularly and routinely assesses all regulated home care providers to ensure that they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, rating them as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate, and publish their results online.

For independently verified reviews from home care customers and their families, it is worth checking out homecare.co.uk. All CQC-registered home care providers are listed on the site, with customers rating aspects of the home care they receive, and sharing their feedback. Home Care reviews can be a good source of information about the customer experience from both the care recipient’s perspective and that of their loved ones.

Your Local Authority will also have a number of paper and online resources to support your search for local home care providers who can meet your individual care and support needs. If your home care is partly or entirely funded by your Local Authority, the Adult Social Care team will discuss their recommendations with you and those involved in making decisions about your care.

Whilst there isn’t a ‘home care grant’ as such, there are several specific funding schemes which you can apply to for financial support with your home care, subject to eligibility. These schemes are not means-tested and could help to offset the cost of your home care if you do not qualify for Local Authority funding, there. These include:

• Attendance Allowance – For those over state pension age living with an illness or disability, who need extra help to live at home.
• Personal Independence Payment – Support for eligible individuals under state pension age who live with a long-term illness or disability.
• NHS Fast-Track CHC scheme – For those whose health is declining rapidly, and need immediate support with end-of-life care, to enable them to remain in their own home.

When searching for care at home which meets your needs, it is first helpful to understand how home care packages are funded.

There are three main routes through which home care services can be funded:

• Self-funded – This is where you are responsible for covering the full cost of your home care.
• Local Authority funded – Depending upon your financial circumstances, your Local Authority may make a contribution towards, or cover, the cost of the home care services you receive.
• Specific funding schemes – Funding to support specific care requirements which meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria.

To find out if you are eligible for financial support towards the cost of your home care, it is best to start by speaking with the Adult Social Care Team at your Local Authority. They will compare your financial circumstances against criteria set by the Government, and advise whether you qualify for full or part funding for your home care.

Whilst the funding criteria is subject to change, you will generally be considered eligible for some financial support from your Local Authority if you have less than £23,250 in savings and assets. The lower the value of your financial savings and assets, the more support you will be entitled to receive.

If your Local Authority is providing financial support for your home care, they will either source your care package for you, or provide you with direct payments from which you can fund your own care. If you are in receipt of direct payments, you will need to evidence how and where this money has been spent, and how this has supported care requirements.

Pre-assessments are completed for all new residents and respite visitors by a member of our Senior Care Team. This is so that we can accurately determine your individual care needs and make sure we can safely support you at the Halcon Centre. This assessment is used to determine the care element of your weekly fees, which is combined with your accommodation cost to form your overall weekly fee.

When you can no longer safely manage a dementia patient’s care needs at home, it is time to get some help. Depending upon the severity of the individual’s dementia symptoms, this could either be in the form of home care visits, or residential care in a specialist dementia care home.

There is no shame in asking for help if you need it. Caring for a loved one who has been diagnosed with dementia is challenging, so it is worth considering all of the options available for dementia patients. Day care visits or a short-term respite break in a care home which specialises in providing dementia care can be a good way of experiencing the dementia support available, and getting to know the care home, care team and other residents, before moving into a care home. This also gives you, as your loved one’s carer, a well-earned break and the chance recharge your batteries.

To find out about the different types of dementia support available near you, please contact our Enquiries Team who will be happy to help.

A home care package supports you to remain independent at home. The support can vary from daily personal care, to supporting with medication, light duties around the home or assistance to get out and about.  Somerset Care home care packages are tailored to your needs, so that you are in control of the support you receive.

If you are unsure of where to start, there are a couple of avenues that we would recommend.  Firstly, it is always a good idea to contact your Local Authority, they can visit you and carry out a care needs and financial assessment to help determine the level of care required and if you are entitled to any financial support. 

Somerset County Council can be contacted on 0300 123 2223
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/care-and-support-assessment/

Wiltshire County Council can be contacted on 0300 456 0111
https://adults.wiltshire.gov.uk/Services/9

Isle of Wight County Council can be contacted on 01983 821000
https://www.iow.gov.uk/asc

At Somerset Care we would ask to come and visit you or your loved one to carry out an assessment. This provides us with an opportunity to meet you and understand what your needs are. As a result of this assessment, we will be able to advise what your weekly package of care could look like. This may result in several visits a day, or just an hour a week, it will totally depend on what you need.

Yes, we have a reablement team who can support you on your return from a hospital stay. We work alongside local Acute hospitals to deliver this service. These reablement packages can be funded for you, or you can call us direct to discuss a privately funded package of care.

We monitor your care and support on a daily basis, via our electronic care planning systems and work with you, your circle of support and any other professionals involved in your care to implement any changes required.

You are fully in control of your care plan and can discuss this with us at any time.  Either speak to your care team or contact your local office to arrange this.

Yes, absolutely! As part of the assessment, you will have a chance to meet the team. The assessment is a chance for us to get to know each other, as well as understanding your care and wellbeing needs.