A new approach to care in the home
Taking care of older people in their own home is a much-valued personal service that has seen a huge growth in demand. Home Instead, with offices at Masterlord Office Village covering Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge, is part of a worldwide network of home care services.
Providing care, companionship and support, their carers ensure that advancing age and specialist needs don’t prevent people from staying in their own home. Every individual receives personalised care depending on their needs, from washing and dressing to helping around the house, or simply companionship.
What sets Home Instead apart is their dedication to matching the personality of a carer with the person they are visiting, building a personal as well as a professional relationship. This includes succession planning when carers have to change, to provide continuity.
Head of community engagement Wendy Chard is always looking at new ways to engage with people, including a monthly dementia café event held at Waitrose (book in advance 01473 272301), or recruiting at Costa for semi-retired or younger people interested in a career in care with flexible hours. They’re currently looking to fill 50 vacancies!
The team also work on a range of initiatives in the community. Their latest immersive experience arrived in a bus, parked outside their offices on Gamma Terrace. The ‘virtual dementia’ simulator gave more than 80 carers, friends and family the opportunity to experience for themselves some of the challenges of living with dementia.
Said Wendy Chard, “The virtual experience gives our carers an experience of what life is like for people living with dementia. Although they have City and Guilds accredited dementia training, the experience helps them to better understand the condition, making sure we can deliver the best quality of care to our wonderful clients.”
Using headphones and special glasses to replicate failing eyesight, this ‘virtual’ experience is a valuable tool in raising awareness and increasing knowledge, funded by the West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group.
At the heart of Home Instead are the people they support. Head of care Anne Belton said, “We have a holistic approach, to allow people to remain living as they wish, in their own home.”
Chris and Susanna Lye founded the company in 2009 and had offices on Beta terrace for 12 years before moving to their current, larger offices on Gamma terrace. In 2019, Home Instead won a prestigious Suffolk Care Award for excellent service delivery.
For more information: homeinstead.co.uk/ipswich or call 01473 272301