best homecare agencies Wolverhampton | Secure Healthcare Solutions

Providing healthcare for a loved one can be incredibly rewarding, however it can cause a lot of stress factors. You can be affected emotionally and physically, as providing care alongside your personal day to day tasks can cause a burnout. You may be providing care around the clock for years or decades and it can be overwhelming, which can make you feel like you’re in over your head.

Learning and identifying the signs of caregiver stress and burnout is important, so you can take action to prevent things from getting worse and to improve care around your availability to improve things for you and the person you are providing healthcare for.

Signs and symptoms of caregiver stress includes:

Anxiety, feeling depressed and irritability
Difficulty sleeping
Drinking, smoking and eating more
Difficulty concentrating and feeling overwhelmed
Feeling lonely and isolated, like nobody else can help
Exhaustion and finding it difficult to complete simple tasks
Frequent headaches and low self-esteem
Gaining or losing weight
Losing interest with things that you used to enjoy

Signs and symptoms of burnout includes:

You may have less energy than you normally have
Feeling constantly exhausted, even after sleeping and taking a break
You have much less energy than you normally have
You ignore your own needs, as you are busy and do not care anymore
Increased sickness, such as colds
Waking up and dreading the day ahead

Below Secure Healthcare Solutions highlights the main tips to deal with caregiver stress and burnout.

Exercise
Finding time to work out is a great way to relax your body and mind and it can improve your mood. Getting outdoors is a great way to boost your mood. Whether it is short period of exercises such as 10–30-minute runs, daily walks or bike rides. A gym workout at home or at the gym can also be important to keep you occupied and clear your mind. Lack of exercise can increase the risk of anxiety and depression. Exercise is critical to clear your mind and negative thoughts to boost your mood.

Getting enough sleep
Approximately 25% of people in the UK have problems with sleeping on a regular basis. Having enough sleep is an important part of you overall wellbeing and can reduce stress and anxiety. For adults it is recommended to have 7-9 hours sleep per night. The NHS provides some great tips to improve the quality of your sleep which you can read by clicking here.

Hobby
Undertake a hobby such as reading, hiking, writing, cooking, learning to play a musical instrument, playing board games with your family or friends to take your mind off things and keep you occupied.

Eating well
We recommend you eating a well-balanced diet to help you feel better in general, this will help you control your moods. It is essential to have a diet that consists of proteins, high levels of vitamins, fruit and vegetables, and it is important that you are eating your five a day, also it is vital that you are hydrated by drinking enough water.

Medication and yoga to reduce stress
It is beneficial to meditate and practice relaxation techniques to help you deal with stress. There is a lot of content on YouTube which you can watch to help you learn about this. The NHS provides a lot of information abut stress and how to deal with it. Click here to find out more

Listen to music
It has been scientifically proven that music stimulates the brain and can lift your mood, lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety. When you are feeling stressed play your favourite music and have a singalong and dance.

Go outside
Spending time outside and breathe in the fresh air, whether it is going for a walk or run or looking at nature, it is an effective way to reduce stress.

Laugh
Laughing releases endorphins in your body which reduces the effects of stress. This could be watching comedies, playing board games with family and friends or going out for food and days out.

Reach out
You are not alone, reach out to your family members and friends to discuss matters. Having someone to talk to and listen to you is important, and extra support is something that you should be thankful for, so your problems can be solved together. As a Healthcare provider, we understand that extra care and support can be required at times, as looking after your loved ones on top of your personal day to day responsibilities can be difficult, which is why we can provide extra care and support for when you need it.

We are here to support you with homecare, whether you require it for short periods of time or longer periods, feel free to get in touch, so we accommodate care plans to suit your needs.

Click here to find out more about our homecare services and contact our Homecare team on 01902 302017 to discuss care plans to suit your loved ones needs.

When the time comes for you to introduce a home carer to your or a loved one’s life, it can feel like a big step. You probably have a lot of questions to ask and things you are thinking about before it happens. It can feel difficult, confusing, or a bit overwhelming, but this is completely normal and to be expected. In order to make it a bit easier for you, we have put together some of the top questions that you might have thought of but don’t know the answers to, or those that you haven’t even thought to ask. Here are our top questions to ask your home carer before they start…

1. Why did you start working in care?

This is a great question to ask your home carer as it helps you to get to know your potential home carer and what their personality is like. After all, if you are going to be accepting someone regularly into your home and to look after you, you want to know you trust them, their personality, and their professionalism. If you know what prompted them to begin their career as a carer, you will find out about their journey and hear stories about what they have done. It is also a great way to get to know them a bit more and find out if they are someone you gel and connect with for your home care.

2. Do you visit me before my home care starts?

You will receive your own dedicated home care plan before your carer starts with you and this will usually be decided following a care assessment process. The person who will be your main carer or a dedicated care manager will come and visit you ahead of time so you can answer any questions (such as in this article) and they can conduct a health and safety risk assessment as well as find out a bit more about you. They will be able to see your living situation, what your condition is like (if you have one), and how you currently go about your day to day life. When your bespoke care plan is created, they will ask questions such as any medications you require, any challenges you face with your daily life such as mobility, hearing or sight, your dietary needs, who else helps with your care, and your lifestyle choices, preferences and beliefs.

3. Will I always have the same carer? How often will I see them?

We know how important it is to have someone that is constant in your life. Someone that can get to know you as a person, your preferences with how you like things done, and knows your routine. If you were to have a myriad of different carers every day not only would this be an inconvenience, but can also be unsettling. Because of this, we try to ensure you have the same couple of carers as much of the time as possible. Sometimes this cannot be the case, for example, if your regular carer is off sick or on holiday, but you should be given a different carer who you have probably met and interacted with before. Remember that it is down to you with how you feel about your carer and if after a few visits you aren’t comfortable with them, you are well within your rights to ask for someone else.

4. What costs are included?

The costs for your home care plan will depend on a number of different factors. The amount you pay can depend on if your local council has carried out a care needs assessment and agreed you are eligible for this, your income, and your savings. The council will do a means test to decide how much you need to pay. If you are self-funding your care, you will need to arrange this yourself. As well as the charges per visit, you will also need to find out where they stand on costs such as mileage for trips if VAT is included and National Insurance for the care worker. You will also need to consider things such as shopping money or petrol money for the carer if they go out to fetch your shopping or other items for you during the day.

5. How can I make it easier for you to help me?

Last on our list of questions to ask your home carer is a simple yet worthwhile question as it will help you both with some clarity on what you need. It will show that you understand there are challenges faced within the role, but you want to make it as easy as possible. They might be able to make some suggestions for you which will make you feel more independent or comfortable. For example, you may feel shy and not want to speak up about certain things in case you offend them, but they might not know they are doing something wrong or not how you like it. If you speak up, this will help them care for you in the way you feel most comfortable, and make them feel happier that they are doing their job properly.

These are some of the most important questions to ask your home carer before having them start in your home. It is a big step for all of those involved and therefore it is important that you feel comfortable. Find out more about our home care services here.

If you are looking for a home care role, we have many vacancies and information which you can find here. Get in touch with us today.

If you are a kind, patient and caring individual looking for a new role, then a healthcare assistant job might be the one for you. Wondering if you have the right traits and just what being a healthcare assistant entails? Here at Secure Healthcare Solutions we are one of the best home care agencies in Wolverhampton and know just what it takes to be a great healthcare assistant. Healthcare jobs provide a real sense of worth to those who do them and are a valuable role in society. From home care services to complex care services, here is some more information on a healthcare assistant job role…

What is a healthcare assistant?

A healthcare assistant is an individual who ensures a patient’s experience is as stress-free, dignified, and comfortable as it can possibly be. It is often the first step on a career ladder if you are looking to get into a more advanced career position, but many people like the role so much they stick at it for many years.

What would day to day duties typically be?

As a healthcare assistant, you will have a varied role in-home care services and complex care services, with many different duties. This is one of the reasons so many people love the day. Healthcare jobs provide you with a great opportunity to try out different skills and better yourself every day. Typical duties can include:

Helping your client to get washed and dressed in the morning
Fixing your client with healthy and nutritious meals throughout the day
Going shopping for them
Doing light cleaning around the home
Being a companion
Picking up any medication and prescriptions they might need
Driving them to any medical appointments
Life administration such as paying bills
Administering medication
Taking them on day trips or to social events
Getting them ready for bed and settled for the night

Healthcare solutions — Healthcare assistant

What personality traits should I have for a healthcare assistant?

As a healthcare assistant, there are certain personality traits that would benefit you in the role. You will need to be a caring and kind person, as well as cheerful and friendly. Patients might not get much other company so will look forward to your visits and having some nice companionship. They may also be unwell or missing their independence so a kind and patient temperament will help them a lot. You will also need to be willing to be hands-on with the patient including personal tasks. If you are someone that is bothered by washing someone, helping them go to the toilet, or clearing up mess such as sick then this might not be the role for you. You will also need to be organized as you will often have a number of different patients on your rota that you need to see during the day. You will need to know who needs what and when, which homes you need to be at during certain times of the day, and the individual needs of the clients. If you are not organized you could end up missing appointments, getting orders wrong, and upsetting those that you look after.
There aren’t any specific qualifications you need as a healthcare assistant, but many employers will ask that you have a good basic level of English and Maths. If you have a qualification in healthcare such as an NVQ or a BTEC this can be useful, but if you don’t have one it is not something to worry about. One of the most important things for you to gain a role in a healthcare assistant job is to have relevant experience in care work. There are many apprenticeships you could do, or it is worth volunteering somewhere locally. This will show your future employer that you are dedicated to the profession and will have some basic knowledge of what you will be doing.

Where can I find care jobs and health jobs to become an HCA?

Here at Secure Healthcare Solutions, we are one of the best job provider sites and home care agencies in Wolverhampton and beyond. From staffing for nurses and private hospital staffing to health jobs and care jobs, we have a myriad of roles to apply for. If you are looking to be a healthcare assistant, we are on hand to help. Get in touch with us today and find out what roles we have available. Find out more about Secure Healthcare Solutions on our website today.