Physical disability care at home

Having a physical disability used to mean long stays in hospital and sometimes a need to move into a residential home or a nursing home. With a greater understanding of how to modify environments and provide care within a person’s own home, however, modern day physical disability care has been revolutionised.

ENA’s in-home physical disability care is at the forefront of providing support for people with physical disabilities that is dignified, respectful and enables you or your relative to live as you wish to in the place you call home. Our care and support is entirely personalised, and focuses on enabling a person with a physical disability to have as much independence, choice and control as possible.

All of our live-in carers are fully trained and vetted to provide side-by-side support that focuses first and foremost on you or your relative as a person. So, while we will provide all of the care you need to live as well as possible with your disability, we will also support you to be the very best you can be as an individual.

Home > Types of care > Live-in physical disability care

What is physical disability care?

Physical disabilities are diverse and vary in severity. You or your relative may have one physical disability or live with multiple disabilities or physical health conditions.

Currently, we support clients with physical disabilities that include:

Spinal cord injury
Cerebral palsy
Multiple sclerosis
Acquired brain injury
Spina bifida
Epilepsy
Arthritis

Did you know? Over 40% of the clients ENA provide care for live with a spinal injury. If the disability/condition you or your relative lives with isn’t listed above, please contact us to discuss your needs. If we can provide the support you need we will endeavour to, and with enough notice we can often build training for our staff around a specific disability/condition.

Reasons to consider live-in physical disability care

Our clients have many reasons for choosing our physical disability home care, including $

$ The person (and their family if they have one) have tried to cope with their physical disability at home, but this isn’t working well and professional support is needed.

$ The person is in hospital but is ready to be discharged with a comprehensive care plan in place.

$ The person needs professional care and support but doesn’t want to move into a care home.

$ The person has had multiple hospital admissions and they/their family are keen to put a support package in place that means they have the care they need at home to minimise inpatient stays.

$ The person has complex care needs and requires professional support at home.

$ The person’s physical disability is likely to deteriorate or they are at risk of developing other condition(s) and they are looking for a flexible package of in-home support that can increase/change as the person’s condition changes.

$ The person is approaching end-of-life and wishes to remain at home with a comprehensive support package.

Key elements of ENA live-in physical disability care

ENA physical disability care is highly personalised, side-by-side care and support that includes:

Meeting a person’s healthcare needs, including support to follow a medication regime, pain management, and any other treatment, rehabilitation diet or exercise plans. We also provide condition-specific care, which could include:
— For a person with a spinal injury, support to avoid/treat pressure ulcers, UTI’s and DVT’s, as well as monitoring and acting rapidly if a person shows any signs of autonomic dysreflexia (AD). If a person requires more intensive assistance, we are also able to provide support including digital bowel care and manual evacuation, manual handling and/or board transfers.
— For a person with cerebral palsy, support with the multiple elements of physical disability that the person may experience, including epilepsy and stroke.
— For a person with multiple sclerosis, support with the movement problems which often accompany progressive MS.
If a person has, or develops, complex care needs — for example PEG feeding, stoma care or the need for ventilator support — our live-in carers can provide this too.
All of a person’s personal care needs, including help to wash, dress and use the toilet, as well as any pampering regimes that the person enjoys.
Support to move around, including help to walk or use a wheelchair, and regular repositioning in a bed or a chair to prevent pressure ulcers if the person can’t move independently. We will also undertake risk assessments for falls and support a person to minimise their risk of falls.
Nutrition and hydration support including meal planning, food preparation and help to eat and drink.

Emotional and mental health support for the person – alongside companionship – to combat the isolation and loneliness that many people with physical disabilities report feeling.
Support to get out and about, including help to find disability-friendly facilities, venues and holidays, attend appointments (including medication reviews and condition-specific treatment reviews), shop, or participate in leisure or social activities.
Help to remain physically active, including supporting the person to enjoy sports (with any adaptations that are needed for their disability). In relation to cerebral palsy, we sponsor the Southern All Star Boccia team to ensure this area of disability sport remains a vibrant community for people with cerebral palsy.
Help with setting up and participating in hobbies and activities that the person enjoys.
Support with domestic tasks, laundry, feeding pets and anything else that is needed around the home.

The benefits of ENA live-in physical disability care

Physical disability care at home will mean different things to different people, but some of the benefits associated with having live-in disability care include:

Holistic, age-appropriate, one-to-one support that is truly personalised to each individual, from young children to older adults, and delivered in the person’s own home.

Physical and mental health support for the person needing care, including specialist/complex care support as well as companionship for the person.

The ability for the person and their family/friends to spend their time together as they wish, rather than family members/friends being unpaid carers.

A comprehensive, frequently reviewed care plan that is created before our live-in care begins with the full involvement of the person needing care and their family (if they have family members involved in their life). This plan enables our live-in carer to get to know the person needing care as quickly as possible to ensure the most optimum support is provided from the very first day of our live-in care.

Peace of mind for the person and their family that they will have the assistance they need at home. ENA live-in carers keep daily electronic care and medication records, which we can provide access to (with consent) if family members are geographically spread out and would like to monitor the care that is being delivered.

Support to reach rehabilitation targets (if the person has them), or to set their own goals, aims or aspirations to work towards with their live-in carer.

‘Just right’, side-by-side support that puts the person in control. Our live-in carers aim to boost the person’s confidence and combat issues like low self-esteem, body confidence problems and feelings of insecurity when going out that many physically disabled people feel.

Understanding and support for the fatigue a person with a physical disability may experience. Having a live-in carer means you or your relative can rest while cleaning, washing or cooking is done by your carer.

Flexible and sustainable long-term care that can change as the person’s needs change. This removes concerns about having to go into a care home or engage with other care services in the future.

What in-home physical disability care services do ENA offer?

We provide short or long-term live-in care for people with physical disabilities that enables a person to live in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their own home. We work closely with a person’s healthcare team to ensure their care at home will keep them safe and meet their requirements, and take a holistic approach to supporting all of the person’s needs, be they physical or mental health needs.

The one-to-one monitoring, care and support that our live-in carers provide ensures any potential complications that the person is experiencing with their health are picked up quickly, including signs of infection or other issues — like autonomic dysreflexia (AD) in a person with a spinal injury — that require prompt action.

If you are unsure if physical disability care at home is right for you or your relative, you could take advantage of our 2-4 week trial to see if it fits yours or your relative’s needs and expectations.

What is involved in setting up physical disability care at home?

As we look to set up your physical disability home care service, we will match you with a live-in carer who has specific expertise in the disabilities that you have. We will also aim to find a carer who shares some of your interests or hobbies, and whose company you will enjoy. We want our clients to feel relaxed and happy with their live-in carer, so compatibility is vital. If, in the unlikely event, you feel your live-in carer isn’t right for you, we will aim to find someone more suitable.

We will visit you/your relative to complete an assessment with absolutely no obligation to proceed. During this visit we will create a bespoke care plan, with yours/your relative’s full involvement, and this will be regularly reviewed if you proceed with having our live-in physical disability care. We will carefully document all of yours/your relative’s healthcare needs, and work with any other professionals involved in yours/your relative’s care, including understanding the discharge plan if you/your relative are currently in hospital. We will also ensure we are fully aware of your wishes and preferences. All of our live-in carers know the importance of never taking over your home or doing more than you would wish for them to do.

To ensure comprehensive and safe support, your live-in carer will be fully trained and vetted to give you complete peace of mind. Our live-in carers who need to meet more complex healthcare needs receive additional training and are overseen by our registered nurses and clinically-led team. In addition, many of our live-in carers have extensive experience in providing disability care, and bring a wealth of knowledge and good practice to their care provision.

Is physical disability care at home the right option for me/my family?

Physical disability home care is the ideal solution to help a person with physical disabilities to live their best life possible in the place they call home.

We focus on enabling a person to do as much as they can for themselves whilst guarding against any frustration or feelings of failure. We are flexible and tailor the care and support we provide to each individual client, with a highly personalised approach that can include bespoke training for our live-in carers prior to their placement with you/your relative if we’ve identified that supporting yours/your relative’s physical disability requires additional knowledge.

We believe in working closely with families (if our clients wish for this to happen), and are adept at working alongside family carers if the person lives with a spouse/partner or other relatives, as well as supporting our clients who live alone to keep in touch with family members if they want to.

We see ability before disability, and aim to give all of our clients the very best quality of life possible by working side-by-side to facilitate maximum independence, choice and control for every individual.

How much does in-home physical disability care cost?

The cost of our physical disability care at home starts at £1,200 per week. Many people find it is highly cost-effective compared to a care home.

Contact us to discuss your physical disability care needs

We are always available to help you understand physical disability live-in care better, and discuss the best home care and support options for you and your family. You can call us on 0800 4334 413 or email .