Welcoming care services into your home marks a significant transition. Proper preparation ensures safety, efficiency, and comfort for everyone involved. Here's how to prepare your home and family for this important step.

Safety Assessment: Creating a Secure Environment

Walk through the home with fresh eyes, identifying potential hazards that might cause accidents or injuries.

Remove Tripping Risks: Look for loose rugs or mats that can slip underfoot, electrical cords running across walkways, clutter on floors or stairs, uneven flooring or raised thresholds, and slippery surfaces in bathrooms or kitchens. Secure rugs with non-slip backing, route cords along walls, declutter thoroughly, and mark or repair uneven surfaces.

Improve Lighting: Ensure adequate lighting in all areas, especially hallways, staircases, bathrooms, and entrances. Install brighter bulbs where needed, add nightlights in bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways for safe nighttime navigation, ensure light switches are easily accessible at room entrances, and consider motion-sensor lights for convenience and safety.

Install Safety Features: Add grab bars in bathrooms near toilets and in showers or baths, install handrails on both sides of staircases, ensure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working with fresh batteries, check that door locks are easy to operate from inside in case of emergency, and consider a personal alarm system for emergencies.

Bathroom Safety: Bathrooms present the highest fall risk. Consider non-slip mats in showers and baths, a shower chair or bath bench for seated bathing, raised toilet seat if needed, adequate lighting including nightlights, and grab bars securely installed into wall studs, not just drywall. 🛁

Creating Accessible Spaces

Arrange your home to allow easy movement, particularly for those using mobility aids like walkers, wheelchairs, or canes.

Furniture Arrangement: Create clear pathways through all rooms with at least 36 inches of width for walker or wheelchair access. Remove unnecessary furniture that creates obstacles. Position frequently used furniture within easy reach. Ensure chairs have sturdy arms for assistance when standing. Avoid low, soft furniture that's difficult to get out of.

Bedroom Accessibility: If stairs pose challenges, consider moving the bedroom to the ground floor. Ensure the bed is at appropriate height—not too low to make standing difficult, not too high to make getting in dangerous. Keep a clear path from bed to bathroom. Position a sturdy chair nearby for dressing. Ensure adequate lighting with easily accessible switches or lamps.

Kitchen Modifications: Store frequently used items at waist level rather than high shelves or low cupboards to minimize reaching and bending. Keep heavy items at accessible heights. Ensure appliances work properly and safely. Consider a kettle tipper if pouring from a full kettle is difficult. Organize cupboards logically so items are easy to find.

Living Areas: Arrange seating to facilitate conversation and social interaction. Ensure remote controls, phones, and other frequently used items are within easy reach. Position furniture to allow clear views of televisions or windows. Create comfortable, accessible spaces that encourage spending time in shared areas rather than isolating in bedrooms. 🏠

Organizing Medications and Medical Supplies

Designated Medication Area: Gather all medications in one location with good lighting, away from humidity (avoid bathrooms), and at a comfortable height for access. Use a kitchen cupboard, bedroom drawer, or dedicated shelf. Keep the area organized and clutter-free.

Medication List: Create a comprehensive list of all medications including name, dosage, frequency, purpose, prescribing doctor, and pharmacy details. Print in large, clear font. Keep copies in the medication area, with important documents, and share with carers and family members.

Medical Supplies Organization: Organize supplies like bandages, blood pressure monitors, diabetic testing equipment, wound care supplies, and mobility aids in an accessible location. Ensure carers know where everything is kept. Check that supplies are in good condition and not expired.

Emergency Information: Compile essential information in an easily accessible location including emergency contact numbers, GP and specialist contact details, hospital preferences, medication list, medical history summary, and insurance or NHS information. Keep this information near the phone and ensure carers know where to find it. 📋

Kitchen Preparations

Safety Checks: Ensure all appliances work properly and safely. Check that the cooker, kettle, toaster, and microwave are in good condition. Consider automatic shut-off kettles for safety. Ensure the refrigerator maintains proper temperature. Check that cupboard doors and drawers open and close properly.

Organization: Store heavy items at waist level rather than requiring reaching or bending. Organize cupboards logically with frequently used items most accessible. Label shelves or cupboards if helpful. Ensure adequate lighting for food preparation.

Stocking the Pantry: Keep the pantry stocked with preferred foods and staples. Note any dietary restrictions clearly for carers. Include easy-to-prepare options for days when cooking feels challenging. Ensure fresh food is available or arrange grocery delivery services.

Meal Preparation Area: Create a comfortable, accessible space for meal preparation. Ensure adequate counter space. Keep cooking utensils, pots, and pans easily accessible. Consider adaptive equipment if arthritis or weakness makes standard utensils difficult. 🍽️

Important Information for Carers

Compile essential information to share with carers so they can provide personalized, effective care from day one.

Emergency Contacts: List family members with phone numbers and relationship, neighbors or friends who can help in emergencies, GP and specialist doctors, preferred hospital, and any other relevant contacts.

Medical Information: Provide medical history summary, current diagnoses and conditions, medication list with dosages and schedules, allergies (medications, foods, environmental), and any medical equipment or supplies used.

Daily Routine Preferences: Share information about preferred wake-up and bedtime, meal times and food preferences, bathing preferences and schedule, activity preferences and hobbies, and any routines that provide comfort or structure.

Personal Preferences: Include how they prefer to be addressed (formal or first name), topics they enjoy discussing, favorite television programs or music, foods they love and dislike, and any sensitivities or things that upset them.

Practical Information: Show where supplies are kept, how appliances work (especially if quirky), where fuse box and water shut-off are located, any home quirks or things that need special handling, and introduce any pets and explain their care needs. 📝

Communication Systems

Phones: Ensure working phones are accessible in multiple locations. Program important numbers into speed dial or write them in large print near phones. Consider a mobile phone with emergency contacts programmed. Ensure phones are charged and working properly.

Emergency Alert Systems: Consider personal alarm systems that can be worn as pendants or bracelets. These allow calling for help if falls or emergencies occur. Many systems connect directly to emergency services or monitoring centers. They provide peace of mind for both the individual and family members.

Care Logs: Set up a communication log where carers can note activities, concerns, or changes. This might be a simple notebook or a more formal care log. It ensures continuity of information between different carers and keeps families informed.

Family Communication: Establish how families will receive updates—phone calls, text messages, emails, or written notes. Clarify frequency of communication and what types of information should be shared immediately versus routine updates. 📞

Emotional Preparation

Preparing emotionally for care is as important as physical preparations.

Acknowledging Feelings: It's normal to feel anxious, sad, or resistant about accepting care. These feelings don't mean you're making the wrong decision. Acknowledge emotions rather than suppressing them. Discuss concerns openly with family members and the care provider.

Reframing Help: Try viewing care as support that enables continued independence rather than loss of independence. Care allows you to remain in your own home, maintain routines, and live life on your terms with assistance in areas that have become challenging.

Maintaining Control: Remember that you remain in control. You direct your care, express preferences, and make decisions. Carers are there to support your choices, not make decisions for you.

Building Trust Takes Time: Don't expect to feel completely comfortable immediately. Trust and relationships develop over time. Give yourself and your carers time to get to know each other and establish comfortable routines.

Communicating Concerns: If something doesn't feel right, speak up. Good care providers welcome feedback and make adjustments. Your comfort and satisfaction matter. 💭

Meeting Your Care Team

When carers first arrive, set everyone up for success with proper introductions and information sharing.

Home Tour: Show carers around your home, pointing out where supplies are kept, how appliances work, any quirks about doors, windows, or systems, where emergency information is located, and introducing any pets.

Sharing Preferences: Discuss your routines and preferences, what help you want and where you prefer independence, how you like things done (everyone has preferences!), and any concerns or worries you have.

Asking Questions: Don't hesitate to ask carers about their experience, training, and background. Ask how they prefer to work and communicate. Clarify expectations on both sides.

Starting Slowly: The first few visits might feel awkward as everyone adjusts. This is completely normal. Focus on getting to know each other and establishing comfortable patterns. 🤝

Ongoing Adjustments

The first few weeks involve adjustments as everyone learns what works best.

Regular Communication: Maintain open dialogue with your care provider about what's working well and what needs modification. Good providers welcome feedback and continuously adapt to serve you better.

Flexibility: Be willing to adjust schedules, routines, or approaches as you discover what works best. Care plans should be living documents that evolve based on experience and changing needs.

Building Relationships: Give relationships time to develop. The carer who feels like a stranger initially often becomes a trusted friend over weeks and months.

Reviewing Care Plans: Schedule regular reviews of your care plan—at least quarterly or more frequently if circumstances change significantly. These reviews ensure care remains appropriate and effective.

At Moral Care, we understand that welcoming care into your home is a significant step. We work patiently and respectfully to make this transition as smooth and comfortable as possible. Our goal is care that enhances your life while respecting your home, routines, and preferences.

Proper preparation creates a foundation for successful, stress-free care that enhances quality of life for everyone involved. We're here to guide you through every step of this process, answering questions and addressing concerns along the way. 🏡💙✨