If you or someone you know is finding day-to-day living increasingly difficult, it can be hard to accept that additional support or care may be needed.
You might be worried about the strain this could place on loved ones or how it might affect daily life. However, recognising this reality is the first step towards making a genuine difference.
At Hamill Homecare, our goal in providing care is not to change lives but to complement them, while ensuring that each individual’s care needs are met.
This approach enhances quality of life and enables individuals to continue living in a way that feels authentic to them.
To achieve this, a care assessment must be carried out by the social care department of your local Council to determine the type and extent of support required, as well as the kind of care needed.
Read on as we discuss the assessment process, who can benefit from it, and how to prepare for and apply for it.
What is a care assessment?
At its core, a care assessment (or sometimes referred to as a care needs assessment) evaluates an individual’s care requirements to determine the type of service they need to live safely and in a way that fulfils their physical and emotional well-being.
While this assessment can occasionally be conducted online or over the phone, it typically requires a visit from either a social worker, district nurse, occupational therapist or another social care professional who will evaluate how the individual currently manages daily living. From there, they can develop a care plan and determine the extent of assistance needed.
While highly dependent on the individual’s needs, this could involve walking frames, transportation to specific locations, personal care, or a permanent move to a care home.
Even if you want to plan and pay for your own care and do not want help from your Council it’s still a good idea to get an assessment of your care needs.
Who is a care assessment suitable for?
A care assessment is suitable for anyone over the age of 18 who may require additional support to lead a fulfilling life, either by their own admission or from the perspective of those close to them.
This can include support in completing basic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and hygiene that may be necessary due to physical frailty, as well as complex care needs related to long term health condition.
What will the assessment consider?
A social care professional will arrange to visit you to carry out your assessment. In some cases, this may take more than one visit.
The purpose of the assessment is to understand your current standard of living and how it can be improved through care and support. This will include discussing:
- What you find difficult to do day-to-day
- What you’d like to be able to do
- The help you already receive from family, friends, or other carers
- Your care needs and how suitable your home is for them
- Any specialist requirements you have due to disability or health conditions
- Any risks to your health or wellbeing if you do not receive appropriate support
The assessment also looks at how well you can manage daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene, as well as your wellbeing needs – for example, taking part in social or physical activities, hobbies, or using public transport.
All of the information gathered will be used to create your care plan, setting out how your needs can be met. They may also complete forms with your details and ask you to sign them, including a consent form to allow your information to be shared with other social care professionals.
How to apply for a care assessment
Although the process of applying for a care assessment differs by country, this is what happens in Scotland:
Individuals can begin the process by contacting their Council’s social care department to ask for an assessment of their care needs. This is called a self-referral.
If they do not want to self-refer, they can ask a GP, friend or relative to contact the Council on their behalf.
Cost of a care assessment
The assessment of your care needs is free.
If your assessment shows that you need social care services, some of these may have a cost. The social care department will carry out a financial assessment to work out how much, if anything, you’ll need to contribute.
Funding for care in Scotland
In Scotland, Self-Directed Support (SDS) is the way social care works in Scotland and helps give people more choice and control over the care they receive.
If you’re eligible for support, SDS lets you decide how that support is delivered – whether you want to manage the budget yourself, have a provider do it for you, or a mix of both. The goal is to make sure your care fits around your life, not the other way around.
For example, using SDS Option 2, you will have an assessed budget from the Council and may need to pay a ‘top up’ cost to choose Hamil Homecare as your care provider.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about getting a care assessment or would like to learn more about Hamill Homecare’s services, please don’t hesitate to contact our team.