Support To Stay In Your Own Home
If you want to live as independently as possible, you may need support to stay in your own home. The health and social care trust in your area can provide services to help you.
Health and social care assessments
There is different types of support available. For example, you might need help with cleaning, or you may find it useful if you had a bath rail fitted. You may be entitled to financial help to maintain your own home. To find out what sort of help you could get, the local trust will assess your health and social care needs. It is important to tell the health and social care trust what will make your everyday life easier.
Direct payments for services
You may also be entitled to 'direct payments'. These are trust payments available for anyone who has been assessed as needing social care, and who would like to buy services instead of receiving the trust's services. Direct payments could be used to pay a home help.
Nominating a helper to collect benefits or a pension
If you find it difficult to collect your pension or other benefits, you can nominate a trusted friend or relative to collect on your behalf.
Health and social care assessments in your local area
You can find out about health and social care assessments in your area.
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
Care in your own home
Care in your own home is offered to people needing help:
- washing
- dressing
- cooking
- cleaning
- managing finances
Help with heating your home
If you need help to pay for heating or improving insulation in your home, you may be able to get money from a government grant scheme.
You might be entitled to a Cold Weather Payment if the temperature in your area is zero or below for seven consecutive days.
Making your home easier to live in
Your home might be easier to live in and safer by making adaptations such as:
- adding hand rails
- installing a draught excluder
- adding bath hoists
You can get advice from your local trust and sometimes receive financial help to alter your home.
Employing a carer or personal assistant
If you need a care worker to help you live independently at home, you may get one through your local trust or a home care agency. You might employ someone directly.
Shopping and home deliveries
If shopping is difficult at times, you could do online shopping. Some supermarkets and shops deliver shopping to your door.
Meals at home services
Hot, and sometimes frozen, meals can be delivered to your home if your health means you have problems cooking. This service is sometimes called 'meals on wheels'.
The health and social care trust in your area may offer you a 'meals at home' service when they assess your needs.
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