A new home care service which helps older people with a combination of personal and health care needs to stay in their own homes for longer is now available in Eden and Barrow.
Cumbria County Council has joined forces with Cumbria Primary Care Trust to fund a dramatic expansion in generic home care - a service which enables specially trained care workers to provide basic health care tasks alongside their normal social care role.
In addition to help with personal tasks such as washing and bathing, care workers can also change dressings and provide basic health care assistance while they are in a person's home.
Generic home care is provided to older people as part of a pre-planned package of care following an assessment of their needs by the Primary Care Trust and the county's council's Adult Social Care service.
It is already available in Carlisle and West Cumbria where it has helped reduce avoidable hospital admissions by giving older people the care and support they need, in their own homes.
The service also supports older people who need extra help to return home after a stay in hospital.
The county council and the Primary Care Trust are jointly investing an extra £480,000 this year in generic home care services.
Cumbria County Council’s Director of Adult Social Care and Health, Jill Stannard, said: "This expansion in generic home care services means we will able to help more older people to maintain their independence for longer.
"Given the choice, older people want to stay in their own homes. An expansion in services like generic home care make this possible for more older Cumbrians.
Cumbria Primary Care Trust's Director of Corporate Affairs Ross Forbes, said: Pooling health and social care resources in this way means we can support more older people to live at home."
ENDS
Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228 226337.
Notes
Adult Social Care is the directorate which deals with Cumbria County Council's social services responsibilities for adults and their carers. More information is available at the Cumbria Adult Social Care website http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/adultsocialcare/