For many Australians living with a disability, the benefits of home care outweigh those of residential care.
Home care services are beneficial not only to a person with a disability, but also their loved ones. In-home care services may allow a person to live outside residential care, either with family members or independently. In-home care has a range of benefits for a person with a disability and their family members.
What Services are Available Through Home Care?
Home care covers a wide range of services. A disabled person may need just one service on an ad-hoc basis to assist with living at home, or they may need multiple care providers to come in on a daily basis for different things.
Disability home care services may include:
- Personal care and grooming.
- Cleaning around the home and washing.
- Nursing (from caring for an injury to medication management).
- Meal preparation.
- Transport.
Benefits of Home Care
Home care offers a number of benefits as opposed to receiving care out of the house and makes it possible for people to live more independently.
Transport
Some people with a disability don’t drive and rely mainly on family or friends to provide transport. A person with a disability often attends a number of medical appointments every month, which means a family member may not be able to participate in any paid work or not as much as they would like because they need to provide transport. Home care means a carer or family member isn’t required to drive them to another appointment. It saves the family time, money and stress when the services can come to them.
Comfort
Most people, both abled and disabled, are more comfortable in their own homes. When services are provided in the home, it’s often a less stressful experience than attending another setting that they’re not as familiar with. The person receiving the care may be more relaxed and respond better to the treatment they’re receiving.
Peace of Mind and Respite
Having a care giver come into the home to provide services on a regular basis to a disabled family member can give the rest of the family peace of mind. Knowing that a professional is assisting gives the family peace of mind that their disabled relative is receiving care that they may not have the skills or time to provide.
Having carers come into the home offers family members a short break from having to do it all. With the carer at the house, a family member will have time to attend appointments for themselves, run errands or do the grocery shopping.
Helps Avoid Residential Care
A disabled person may be able to live in the family home as opposed to residential care because of at-home services. Parents may care for an adult disabled child in the family home because they receive in-home care with tasks they are unable to do such as showering and dressing. Without outside help, they may not be able to provide the level of care their child needs and have no other option but to place their child in an assisted living situation.
Independent Living is Possible
A disabled person may be able to live independently on their own with the help of home care. They may need a carer to help with tasks they can’t do themselves, such as meal preparation and home maintenance. Other disabled people may need assistance with showering and dressing and then go to work full-time.
Good for the Economy
It’s often far more economical for the country to have people living independently or in a shared house with at-home care services rather than pay for them to live in a facility that provides full-time care.
Engaging with the Community
A person with a disability may be able to live independently out of a shared house but suffer from loneliness. At-home care may assist in providing company or someone who can drive them to outings so they can build relationships and participate in the local community.
Funding for At-Home Care
People with a disability who are under the age of 65 may be eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS provides funding for some in-home care services. Speak to the NDIS to find out if you or your family member are eligible for NDIS funding.
Altius Group is a registered NDIS service provider of therapeutic supports, health and wellbeing services and employment related assessment, counselling and career planning. Read more about our NDIS Services, call us on 1800 258 487 or contact us online.
