Taking the strain
As your loved one needs more support to maintain an enjoyable quality of life, it is easy for the additional work to fall to one other person in the household. Slowly the list of tasks grows, no-one notices the stress that person is under until it is too late!
Here are a few suggestions to help spread the workload:
Consider engaging a cleaning company who can clean the house and strip the beds, launder and return it. See the Red Sock Laundrette and Cleaning Service in the Aviemore area, at their website Red Sock Laundry for more details. They help with all aspects of running your home, including laundering the person’s clothes and returning them ironed.
Arrange the food shopping to be delivered.
Perhaps engage a meals delivery company, e.g. Wiltshire Farm Foods or similar. This allows more time to be spent with the looked after person.
Medication administration - In such a busy day, it is easy to become distracted with everything that needs done and forget medication times. An easy fix is to set an alarm on a mobile phone or similar device to go off when medication should be administered. If there is an Alexa or similar device, recruit them onto the team, just ask them to remind you to give medication at set times.
Get expert advice when it comes to buying equipment. Contact your local authority and ask for a referral to the Occupational Therapist. Different areas are able to help with different elements of a person’s functions. Details of how Perth and Kinross can help can be found under Access Team on their website, Perth and Kinross Council - Perth & Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk).
In Perth and Kinross, the Access Team cannot help with walking aids. Contact a reputable supplier for these pieces of equipment. One supplier may be Allardyce Healthcare, who offer an after sales service for repairs plus a delivery service. About Allardyce Healthcare
Ask for help! The local authority in Scotland should help with an assessment to establish the support required. They may be able to offer carers employed by the council or another option. For more information on your funded options, go to Support Choices website. They support people in Perth and Kinross to understand their options through Self Directed Support. They say:
“The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 ensures that when discharging their duty to support people in need, local authorities do so in a way which offers the person choice, control and flexibility to determine how they wish to receive support.”
Respite care for the carer is essential for carers to stay healthy. Think about who can help by sitting in with your loved one. It may be a member of the family who can play dominos or a board game with them. It allows the carer to go and get their hair done, got for a walk or swim, go to the dentist or get their COVID vaccine. Any time that they get to themselves is invaluable in maintaining their quality of life. Some care homes have a care-at-home service which can arrange someone to sit with your loved one when you are out.
Monthly foot clinics are offered by the community at Perth Baptist Church. Contact them on 07928 827898 for more details or email office@perthbaptistchurch.org.uk. Alternatively, some chiropodists will make home visits if you are unable to attend a clinic.
Prescriptions can be delivered if arranged. Speak to your doctors’ surgery or pharmacist for more details.
There are many other ideas I can share to make life easier. Please drop me an email and I will get back to you. Please don’t leave it to the last minute!