Older People and their Carers

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1 Help and support from Bexley Social Services for Older People and their Carers Listening to you, working for you

2 Bexley s Services for Older People. Bexley Social Services works closely with other organisations such as Bexley Care Trust and Care Partners Trust to arrange or provide services to older people in need. If you are aged 65 or over, and are having difficulty managing at home, we may be able to help you. Bexley Social Services Help with sight impairment and hearing impairment Transport Day activities Support for carers - help to have a break What do I do if I feel I need a service? You can visit, telephone or write to your local Social Care Locality Office. Addresses and telephone numbers are at the back of this leaflet. If you prefer, you can ask someone else to contact us on your behalf. When you contact us, we will ask you questions about your home life and the difficulties you have. It is important that you tell us as much as possible about your difficulties, as this helps us assess what help you might need. If you need a service, you may be visited at home for an assessment. If you are a carer, you are entitled to a separate assessment of your needs if you wish. Bexley Care Trust Help with everyday living The Rapid Response Team Help with moving to a nursing or residential care home Social work advice and support Care Partners Trust Help with Personal Care Meals on Wheels and freezer meals service

3 What is an assessment? The aim of the assessment is to find out what your needs are. The assessment will include questions like: What can you do for yourself? What do you need help with? What do you need to have done? Who helps and cares for you at the moment? What income and savings do you have? You can invite a relative or friend to your assessment if you wish. Depending on your needs, we may work with you to draw up a care plan based on your assessment. A care plan is a way of organising help to meet your particular needs. How much will services cost? You may be required to pay for some of the social care services you receive. How much you pay will depend on your income and the amount of help you need. At the time of your assessment, you will get help to complete a financial assessment form. This form includes questions about your weekly income, savings and expenditure. The information you provide will help us to determine the weekly charge for the services you receive. We will explain the cost before the service is provided. You may be entitled to benefits, and if so, we will help you claim them. We will give you advice about this.

4 Putting Service-Users and Carers First In all our dealings with you, we promise that: You will be treated with courtesy and respect You will be involved in a full discussion about the provision of services You will be given full information about services Your privacy, dignity and individuality will be respected Your individual cultural and religious needs will be respected; please tell us about these Your personal information will be treated confidentially and only shared with those professionals that need to know in order to provide good quality care More information on how your information is protected, stored and used is contained in separate leaflets on Data Protection produced by both Bexley Social Services and Bexley Care Trust. Home Care Service This service provides practical help and personal care to help you look after yourself, and assist you to remain in your own home. If you are older and frail, and you have difficulty managing at home, we may be able to help you. If your difficulties are short term, for example, if you have had an operation and are recovering at home, or if you are cared for by someone who has to go into hospital; we can help you until you are well again, or until your carer has returned home. If you need longer-term help due to an accident or illness, or are no longer able to look after yourself very well, we can give you regular help. The Home Care Service can give you help and assistance with: Personal care. Getting up and going to bed Dressing and undressing Washing, bathing, grooming, shaving, hair washing, teeth and denture care and general personal hygiene Eating and drinking Using the toilet or commode

5 Help in the home. House cleaning Laundry and ironing Other domestic duties General help. Shopping Collecting pensions and benefits, paying bills into the post office, opening giro accounts etc Meals on wheels & freezer meals service Hot meals can be delivered to your home between 11.30am and 2.00pm, 365 days a year. We can help if: You are elderly, or have a disability and have difficulty preparing food or cooking a meal You have difficulty cooking because you have had an operation and are recovering at home If you find it difficult to go shopping, but can cook your own meals, we can deliver freezer meals to your home every four weeks. If you do not have a freezer, and you canʼt afford to buy one, we can loan you a small freezer. Help with sight/hearing impairment If you have lost your eyesight, or your sight is very poor, we can offer advice and counselling. Training is available in everyday living skills and in using special equipment. We can also help you learn new skills. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can receive a similar service. Resource centres for people who have lost their sight, or are partially sighted, and for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, are open to anyone who needs their help and advice. Social activities are also provided at these centres. Day Activities If you are living at home, and cannot get out by yourself, you may like to attend a day centre so you can meet other people and enjoy social activities. Transport can be arranged for this. There are also two day centres in Bexley which provide a service for the Asian Community. Help with everyday living We can arrange special aids and equipment for people who are elderly and/or disabled. These help with everyday tasks, and enable people to live safely and independently in their own home.

6 If you need adaptations to your home, we can arrange these. There is a waiting list for some types of equipment, due to the great demand for this service. However, if your situation is urgent, you will receive help as a priority. Social work advice and support Social workers offer counselling, advice and help in dealing with difficulties such as a serious illness, a death in the family or other major changes. Such problems can cause a great deal of distress and can put relationships under a great deal of strain. Some older people may even be at risk of harm from the people they live with. Social workers will help you get the services you need, such as counselling or support. If your needs are more complex, you may be put in touch with a care manager, who will carry out an assessment and put together a care plan which meets your needs. The Rapid Response Team The rapid response team is a multi- disciplinary team of social care and health professionals. The focus of the team is to offer a quick response to older people and people with physical disabilities who are living in the community and experiencing a crisis in their lives. The team is able to prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital, residential or nursing care by offering a multidisciplinary assessment, and by the provision of emergency community care services. The District Nursing Service The District Nursing service provides expert nursing care and advice including health promotion, usually for people who are unable to leave their own home, to people registered with a GP in Bexley. The care provided may include help with wounds, completing an assessment if you have complex needs. District Nurses work in teams including other nurses and Health Care Assistant to deliver all levels of care required by individuals. District Nurses work alongside your GP, who will be

7 able to contact them, if you need help from a District Nurse. You would normally be referred to the District Nursing service by your GP, however you can also contact them direct, and the number is provided at the back of this leaflet. Community Health Rehabilitation Team The Community Health Rehabilitation team, is a multidisciplinary team that help individuals regain mobility and independence after accidents, operations, and they can help disabled people. The team consists of: Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants The Community Health Rehabilitation team offer services at home and some community based clinics. The Community Health Rehabilitation service can be accessed through your GP, or through your local social care locality office. Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Services The Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Teams provide special aids and equipment for people who are disabled. These help with everyday tasks and will enable you to live safely and independently in your own home. There is a short waiting list for some types of equipment, due to the great demand for this service. However, if your situation is urgent, you will receive help as a priority. Not all equipment is arranged by Social Services; health services and voluntary organisations can provide some medical equipment. You will be advised of the aids available, and where you can obtain them. If you need adaptations to your home, we can arrange these. Adaptations could be minor, such as widening doors and installing stair rails, or major, for example the installation of home-lifts or wheelchair accessible showers. There is a Disabled Facilities Grant available to pay for some adaptations. We will advise you if you are eligible for this at the time of your assessment.

8 Community Mental Health Team for Older People The Community Mental Health Team for Older People offers help for older people with mental health problems, such as Anxiety Depression Dementia The Community Mental Health Team for Older People also offers a specialist ʻmemory clinicʼ service to assess and treat some people with memory difficulties. The team consists of professional and support staff from health and social care, who offer an assessment to older people with mental health problems and their carers, and a care plan will then be drawn up if appropriate. Access to the Community Mental Health Team for Older People is usually via your GP. Support for Carers You are a carer if you give regular, substantial support and care to a relative or friend, which enables them to continue living in their own home. As a carer, you have the right to have a carerʼs assessment, even if the person you care for doesnʼt want any services. You can contact about an assessment. The Carersʼ Information Pack contains a directory of the services available from Social Services and voluntary organisations. If you would like a pack please telephone: Carers Support Bexley on Help to have a break You or your carer may require a break from time to time-this may be a break for a few hours, or for a longer period of time. There are a variety of services available, which include care in your own home, or in a residential home.

9 Help with moving to a nursing home or residential care home Most people would like to continue to live in their own home for as long as possible. However, sometimes people need the kind of care that can only be provided in a nursing home or residential care home. We will assess your situation and help you decide what is best for you. If you are unable to manage at home with community care services and think you need residential or nursing care, we will visit you at home and carry out an assessment of your needs. If you do need this type of care, we will help choose and apply for a suitable place, and explain how much you will have to pay.

10 How To Contact The Teams: If you are interested in receiving any of the services in this leaflet, please contact or visit the office nearest to you: North Bexley Locality Office Howbury Centre Slade Green Road Erith Kent DA8 2HX Clocktower Locality Office 8 Brampton Road Bexleyheath Kent DA7 4EY Frognal Locality Office Marlow House (1st Floor) 109 Station Road Sidcup Kent DA15 7EV Services for older people with mental health problems These are dealt with by the Community Mental Health Team for Older People at: Upton Road Day Hospital Upton Road Bexleyheath Kent DA6 8LQ Older people should be referred by their GP in the first instance. The Rapid Response Team District Nursing Service Referrals can also be taken by the Community Liaison Desk: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm, or Breaks for carers information: Details of all services can also be found on the Council s website If you need Emergency Help after 5pm or at the weekend telephone Bexley Social Services:

11 Useful organisations: Age Concern Bexley Alzheimer s Society Carers Support Bexley Carers National Helpline NHS Direct Thamesmead Law Centre Legal and Benefits advice Citizen s Advice Bureau (Bexleyheath) (Erith) Copies of all leaflets are available in several community languages and also in large print or on tape for blind and partially sighted people. For tapes and leaflets, please contact the Communications Officer on Other leaflets from Social Services: Bexley Social Services: Here to Help Help from Social Services for people with Physical or Sensory Impairments and their Carers Help from Social Services for people with Learning Disabilities & their Carers Bexley Social Services: Community Mental Health Teams Help from Social Services for Carers Help from Social Services for Children and Families Bexley Social Services: The Drug & Alcohol Care Management Team Help from Social Services for people with HIV and AIDS and their Carers Better Care Higher Standards Charter Data Protection: How we look after your personal information and how to access it Comments, Complaints & Suggestions Fair Access to Care Services Direct Payments for Social Care

12 If you would like to know more about the services the Council provides, or would like either a translation of this document or the information in a different format, please call our Customer Contact Centre on and press 0, quoting reference: /11.07 Listening to you, working for you