How to prepare your Gloucester home for home care

Nestled in the heart of Gloucestershire, with its rich history and picturesque landscapes, Gloucester homes exude a unique charm. Yet, as time unfolds and our needs change, even the most cherished family home might require some adjustments to make it suitable for home care. Whether you’re making plans for a loved one or preparing for your own future, ensuring your Gloucester home is safe, accessible, and comforting for home care is paramount.

We recommend several steps and checks when it comes time for home care in Gloucester. This blog post discusses a few of the most basic things you can do or organise yourself.

Whether you need 24/7 live-in care or thirty minutes every Monday morning, there are things to consider. Of course, everyone’s circumstances vary significantly..

For tailored professional advice, please get in touch. We’ll be happy to assist you in any way that we can.

Characteristics of Gloucester homes and home care

In the city of Gloucester, we typically find large Victorian-era or newer homes. This often means high ceilings and potentially older installations such as single-glazed windows. If possible, have your heating or heat retention systems (like the windows) upgraded, at least in the rooms most often used by the care recipient. This will make their experience much more comfortable.

There are more detached and semi-detached houses than in many other cities throughout England. This typically makes it easier for a home caregiver to park and access your property. And, if your Gloucester home has unused bedrooms, ensure it’s a nice place where your home caregiver can stay over or live if required.

Start decluttering your Gloucester home

One of the simplest things you can do before home care starts in your Gloucester home is declutter. And by declutter, we mean to tidy up and organise cupboards and closets. This brings several benefits, as below:

The environment is safer for everyone, especially the care receiver and caregiver. They’re less likely to trip over anything.
The caregiver will know where to find specific things (like medication, clothes, magazines or the TV remote).
A decluttered space is better for someone’s mental well-being, especially if they aren’t mobile.

Bring in and install safety features

Depending on several factors, like the care receiver’s mobility or the extent of their illness, you’ll need to install several safety features. These might include items from the following non-exhaustive list:

Lighting upgrades – especially in some older Victorian homes, lighting is an issue. Consider putting in newer bulbs or fixtures so everyone can see what they’re doing and where they’re stepping. You might need an electrician to do this safely.
Non-slip rugs – with extra grip underneath, non-slip rugs are far less likely to fly out from underneath you and cause a fall.
Smart devices – certain smart devices might make your life much easier. Think about Ring doorbells, security lighting, smart thermostats and alarms on mats or outside doors.
Bannisters and rails – these should be secure enough for home care use and may need to be replaced.

Accessibility modifications for home care in Gloucester

Someone receiving home care may sometimes require more help than others. When this happens, we adapt. Modifying your Gloucester house for a more comfortable life is always possible.

Many of our clients modify their properties in ways such as the following:

Downstairs bedroom/bathroom conversion – when the stairs become too hazardous for someone, it’s safer for them to sleep and wash downstairs.
Stairlift – when installed professionally, a stair lift is a means of safely getting up and down storeys.
Wet room conversion – instead of a typical shower or bathtub, a wet room is open-concept. It makes it much less dangerous for someone receiving care to wash. This also protects the carer.
Widening doors, hallways and other spaces – if your spaces are already wide, you might not need to do anything here. In short, doorways, hallways, and anywhere your loved one walks should have room for them and their caregiver as much as possible. For example, is every hallway wide enough for a wheelchair or walking frame? Can a hoist fit through the doorways? And so on.
Outside changes – in many cases, we want any outside space to be made safer. This could involve replacing steps with a gradual wheelchair ramp, resurfacing patios, or filling potholes.

We recommend using local Gloucester contractors and suppliers for this work, especially anyone specialising in modifications for the disabled or elderly. They’ll also be able to tell you what’s possible and what’s not, including looking at planning permission.

How can Caremark help you prepare for Gloucester home care?

Here at Caremark, we’ve made it our mission to help anyone struggling in Gloucester and the surrounding areas. With many ways we can assist you in Gloucester, our drop-by or live-in caregivers have pledged to be thoughtful, careful and kind.

Whether recovering from a temporary setback, suffering from an ongoing disease, or your loved one requires palliative care, we’re here to make things easier for you. Looking after someone isn’t an easy job, which is why our caregivers are fully trained and supported.

We’re so sorry if you or someone you love is going through a difficult time. If you or they would benefit from extra care, please don’t hesitate to call us.