Something that’s been highlighted recently to me, and to my family, is that if you want something, quite often you have to fight for it. One of the things that you shouldn’t have to fight for is quality of life in your own home! Recently, VisionWest expanded it’s Homecare services to Waikato and Bay of Plenty/Rotorua regions by purchasing the Salvation Army Homecare business. A lot of what our team does is working with the elderly but they also work with people of all ages with a range of disabilities. That means, post operative care, those with Cancer, MS, Fibromyalgia and a myriad of other conditions that means that, for those that have them, life doesn’t always go to plan. So here’s a few things to think about when making a care plan and working with a care provider.
- Choose Carers that respect you are a person, not just a client
I’ve heard people sound surprised to hear that people in wheelchairs have studied, traveled, held jobs, become parents etc – These people may not always have been in a wheelchair! They probably led very fulfilling lives and have many different interests. Carers need to appreciate that and work with respect and professionalism. VisionWest Baptist Homecare has carers that are professional, reliable, trustworthy and caring. They believe everyone has value.
- Responsive
If there’s a family emergency and you need to change care hours or need more support, you need someone you can call who you trust and who will respond quickly and efficiently. Recently, I know someone who was rushed to hospital and all he had to do was make 1 phone call and he could rest in the knowledge that his wife would get emergency overnight care she needed in his absence.
3. Family
People who need care often have a family around them that might also need support. One of the advantages of VisionWest Baptist Homecare is their whanau-centred approach with other services such as social work, counselling, financial literacy/budgeting support, and food parcels available to them.
There’s more to think about but these are just a few items to get you started. You should make sure that a few different people are known to your care coordinator so that different people can get in touch if the need arises. If you want to find out more about what VisionWest does in this area, check our their dedicated Homecare website.