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It’s moments like this that remind us exactly why I love working in care, and we do what we do at Nyadowa Care.

Our client JP fell ill and deteriorated very quickly, she was bedbound, could not walk, and went through a difficult period of decline. Our team spotted the changes early and raised a concern, so we acted quickly. Her daughter was away on holiday. Emails were sent, and phone calls were made. There was communication breakdown between different teams that slowed down progress.

In April, JP developed a pressure sore, her care needs became more complex. We worked closely with her daughter, the Out of Hours team, the GP, Social Services, and later the District Nurse to make sure JP was getting the support she needed. Her physiotherapist Ida, family, and friends were brilliant, everyone had a part to play, and it made a significant difference.

JP also shared a set of personal goals that mattered deeply to her. She was determined to:

1. Get out of bed on her own, which she attempted before the hospital bed arrived and had a fall. She is a resilient stubborn lady.
2. Sit comfortably in her chair.
3. Eat independently after a period of sickness.
4. Walk to the toilet with support.
5. Make her way to the lounge.
6. Spend more time sitting in her lounge chair.
7. Enjoy regular showers again.
8. Celebrate her 98th birthday.
9. Be able to put herself into bed again as she likes to go to bed late, very late.

An MDT meeting with Social Services on 25th April helped us revisit and strengthen her forever-changing care plan, ensuring it remained updated and entirely centred around JP’s evolving needs and goals. She set a goal to have regular showers again, something that had felt out of reach after her period of unwellness. However, with our support, the physiotherapist’s support, and her determination, JP began walking to the bathroom with the aid of her frame.

She reached milestones big and small: sitting out in her chair for extended periods with a cushion on 9th April, transferring from bed to commode, day by day, she got closer to every goal she’d set, meeting two goals a month on average. With consistent care from the Nyadowa Care team and the encouragement of her loved ones, we have assisted JP, and she has now met all her goals! It has been uplifting not only for JP and her family but also for Nyadowa Care. Seeing her reach these milestones has been a joy and a lovely reminder of what person-centred care can truly do

JP with her embroidery project.

For seniors and people with disabilities who need help in doing their daily living activities, two options emerge: home care or care homes. While they offer both personal and supportive care, they differ in some key ways. People and families can also determine the best care setting by understanding those differences.

In this article, we explain what home care and care homes are, clarify the main differences between them, and help you make the call as to which one is right for you.

What is Home Care?

Domiciliary care, also known as home care, is the provision of care in a person’s own home rather than during a stay in a hospital or specialist care facility. It typically involves personal care aides coming into the home on a part-time or as-needed basis to help with activities like:

• Bathing and grooming
• Toileting and incontinence care
• Mobility assistance and transfers
• Medication reminders
• Meal preparation
• Light housekeeping
• Companionship activities

Home care can vary from a few hours per week to round-the-clock care. Services are customised to individuals’ needs and preferences. The purpose of home care is to permit people to stay home safe and feel at ease for as much time as possible.

Seniors who need only a moderate level of assistance can benefit from home care. It aids those recovering from illness, injury or hospitalisation. Compared with care in a healthcare facility, home care provides a patient more privacy, independence and familiarity with their surroundings.

Advantages

• Familiar Surroundings – Remaining in a familiar home environment can provide physical and mental health benefits for seniors. It maintains independence and autonomy.
• Social Connections – Living at home allows seniors to maintain existing relationships with family, friends, and the community that support their well-being.
• Lower Cost – Home care is paid hourly or part-time, which costs less than full-time residential care for seniors with moderate needs.
• Customisable – Home care services can be fully customised to match capabilities and preferences. Hours can scale up or down as needs change.
• Family Involvement – Relatives can still participate in care tasks or interact regularly with role and bonding preserved.

Disadvantages

• Safety Risks – Homes aren’t designed for disabilities and lack 24/7 staff, raising risks if cognition or mobility declines severely.
• Care Limitations – The level of care possible at home has limits, especially for medical/nursing needs. Lack of overnight help is also an issue.
• Social Isolation – Mobility issues and health conditions can still lead to loneliness and lack of activity if home care hours are inadequate.
• Staff Retention – Developing relationships with individual caregivers can be disrupted by staff turnover.
• Family Burnout – Relatives face fatigue and emotional strain taking on caregiving duties, even with home care staff assistance.

What are Care Homes?

Care homes, sometimes called rest homes or nursing homes, provide ongoing residential care in a facility-based setting. Residents live full-time in the care home and have access to 24-hour supervision and assistance.

There are a few main types of care homes:

• Residential Care Homes: These provide personal care assistance with daily activities. Some healthcare services may also be available, but not full-time nursing care.
• Nursing Homes: Nursing homes employ licensed nurses 24/7 to provide medical care in addition to assistance with daily living activities. They serve people with more intensive care needs.
• Memory Care Units: Special secured units within care homes cater to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The layouts and routines are tailored for memory care residents.

Care homes have staff available around the clock to monitor residents, administer medications, assist with personal care and oversee activities. Meals, laundry, housekeeping and social engagement are also provided.

Advantages

• 24/7 Oversight – Continuous staff presence and training means the highest level of safety and immediate response to health changes.
• Medical Access – On-site nursing staff and physician access allows better treatment for chronic conditions or acute needs.
• Social Engagement – Group dining, structured activities and community peers combat the isolation that seniors often encounter.
• Specialisation – Care homes offer specific resources for memory care or rehabilitation that may be lacking at home.
• Reduced Family Burden – With consistent staffing, family members can share oversight but aren’t relied upon for difficult hands-on care.

Disadvantages

• Transition Difficulty – Leaving a long-term home for an institutional setting involves significant lifestyle change and can challenge wellbeing.
• Loss of Autonomy – Schedules and care tasks are directed by staff instead of seniors making their own decisions about daily routines.
• Less Privacy – Sharing space with other residents and lack of alone time are tough adjustments after living independently.
• Lower Quality of Life – Care tasks focus more on safety and health than personalised daily pleasure and experiences.
• Cost – All-inclusive monthly rates for residential facilities have much higher price tags than individualised home care.

Key Differences Between Home Care and Care Homes

Now that we’ve defined home care and care homes let’s look at some of the main differences:

1. Location

The most obvious difference is location. Home care takes place in the client’s own residence. Care homes provide services on-site in a residential facility.

Remaining in a familiar home environment is a major advantage of home care. However, for individuals with advanced needs, the resources and security of a care home may become necessary.

2. Care Needs

Home care generally serves people with relatively low to moderate care needs. It offers flexibility to increase hours and services as needs grow. However, there are limits to the level of care possible at home.

Care homes provide much more intensive, around-the-clock oversight and assistance. They are equipped to meet the medical, mobility, and personal care needs of people.

As health declines, the structured setting and expert staff of a care home are often safer and more practical than home care.

3. Staffing

Home care relies on personal care aides or home health aides providing part-time, temporary assistance. The individual directs when caregivers come and what they assist with.

In care homes, trained staff and nurses are on duty all the time. They provide complete oversight and hands-on care as needed. More intensive medical care from doctors, therapists or social workers is also available.

4. Cost

Home care costs vary based on the number of hours of assistance needed each week. It is billed on an hourly or part-time basis. This makes it more affordable for individuals with lower care needs.

Care homes charge a monthly rate that covers room and board, assistance with all daily living activities, and access to on-site medical care. Costs are higher because the care is more intensive. But expenses are predictable.

Home care can become comparable in cost if a very high number of hours are required each week. Financial assistance programs like Medicaid can cover care home expenses based on individual eligibility.

5. Living Space

Home care allows individuals to remain in their own living environment. Familiar surroundings can have physical and mental health benefits. With home modifications or mobility equipment, the existing home can adapt as needs change.

In care homes, residents live in individual or shared rooms in a facility with other seniors. There are common living areas for activities and dining. The setting is designed specifically for senior care needs, with railings, ramps and call buttons. But leaving a long-time home can be an emotional transition.

6. Social Engagement

Living at home allows individuals to dictate their own schedules and activities. Existing relationships and community connections can continue as normal. However, social isolation can become an issue if health declines or mobility is limited.

Care homes provide built-in socialisation, with group dining and activity rooms. Scheduled programming gives plentiful opportunities to interact with staff and other residents. But leaving family, friends and community behind is a major life change.

7. Family Role

With home care, family and friends can still stop by regularly and participate in care tasks if desired. This allows existing roles and relationships to continue more naturally.

If a loved one moves to a care home, families take on more of a visiting and oversight role. The daily hands-on care is left to the staff. However, families remain important advocates and emotional supports.

Choosing Between Home Care and Care Homes

So, when is the right time to consider a move from home care to a residential care home? There’s no single obvious threshold. Key factors to consider include:

• Safety – If the risk of falls, wandering or urgent medical issues rises, a care home may provide safer round-the-clock supervision.
• Hands-on Care Needs – If the required hours of bathing, dressing or toileting assistance exceed what’s feasible at home, a care home brings staff resources.
• Cognition – Worsening memory loss, confusion and decision-making mean a more structured care setting often works better.
• Affordability – When home care hours have to increase significantly, the predictable costs of a care home might make more financial sense.
• Family Capacity – If relatives providing care experience burnout, care homes offer a break with reliable staffing.

The choice between home care and residential care should be reevaluated whenever health situations or care needs change significantly. Most seniors wish to remain home for as long as comfortably possible. However, being aware of other options can lead to better decisions when needs shift.

Conclusion

Care services for seniors aim to support safety, health, and quality of life and provide these services at home or in a dedicated facility. One of the main advantages of home care is the ability to stay at home with a level of independence, while care homes provide the intensive resource and oversight we are looking for.

It is clear that there are trade‐offs between the two care settings. They each have their benefits for different needs. These key differences can be recognised, helping families to determine if and when they have to make a transition from care home to home care.

A Shared Lives service is a system of social care support where the carer and the person needing care and support agree for the person to go and live with or regularly visit the carer as part of their household. Its primary goal is to create a family environment for people with disabilities, mental health issues, disabling age and disabling illness who need additional help in their lives.

Unlike traditional residential care homes, Shared Lives creates relationships and social connections at a family and community level. The individual placed with the Shared Lives carer lives with them, sharing time and space in the family home and providing long-term accommodation and support.

What is Shared Lives Service, and How Was It Originated?

Shared Lives (or adult placement service) is a unique community-based model of support and care for vulnerable adults with differing levels of need. It came out of the 80s as an alternative to residential care or hospitalisation for people with learning disabilities and, to a lesser extent, mental health conditions.

The main premise of a Shared Lives service is that an individual goes to live, often on a long-term basis, with a registered and approved Shared Lives carer and their family. The carer welcomes them into their home, where the individual becomes a part of the household and is supported to live an ordinary life as an active member of the local community.

Unlike in residential homes or hospitals, Shared Lives placements aim to facilitate meaningful relationships between the individual, Shared Lives carer and their wider social networks. The carer provides accommodation, meals, personal care, medication prompts or administration if required, emotional support and assistance to access community activities.

How Does a Shared Lives Service Work?

A Shared Lives service is facilitated by a local authority, health trust, or independent agency that is responsible for recruiting, training, approving, matching, and monitoring Shared Lives carers. They carefully match an individual with specific needs to an approved Shared Lives household.

There are three main types of Shared Lives placements – long-term accommodation, where the individual goes to live with the carer on a permanent basis; short breaks, which provide temporary respite for an individual and their existing carers; and day support, where they visit a carer during the day but return home at night.

While living as part of the Shared Lives carer’s family, the individual receives support based on their needs, which could range from personal care, administering medication, emotional support or assistance to access community activities. The aim is to facilitate independence wherever possible.

Structure and Organization by NHS

A Shared Lives service is generally organised by a local authority, NHS organisation or independent agency. The organising body is responsible for funding the service, recruiting suitable individuals and families to become approved Shared Lives carers, matching carers to individuals needing support, and monitoring placements to ensure the quality of care.

Shared Lives carers are self-employed providers who must undergo extensive training, clearance checks and home assessments before being approved to support individuals through a Shared Lives arrangement. Carers receive payment for their time but are motivated primarily by a desire to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

The Shared Lives service aims to provide family-based support rather than institutionalised care. It promotes social inclusion, independence, choice and good relationships. By welcoming someone into their home and family, Shared Lives carers can facilitate community and social connections in a way that other models of support cannot.

The Process of Matching

Making an appropriate match between an individual and a Shared Lives carer is fundamental to the success of a placement. The matching process involves careful consideration of each party’s needs, preferences, interests and compatibility to find the best fit.

Prior to a match being made, individuals are consulted about what they are looking for in a Shared Lives arrangement. Meanwhile, approved carers outline details about their household, experience, availability and who they feel able to support.

The Shared Lives coordinator then identifies potential matches, arranges introductions, and supports both parties through the matching process, which may take several weeks. Overnight stays often occur to see if the match works well. A range of factors are considered, including individual needs and abilities, interests, location, family dynamics, space in the home, pets and more.

Successful matching is critical for positive outcomes from Shared Lives placements over the short and long term. Great care is taken to make the best match possible whilst allowing both parties choice and control over the process.

Types of Placements

There are three main types of placements offered through a Shared Lives service:

Long Term Placements

This involves an individual moving in with a Shared Lives carer on a long-term basis, with the arrangement often lasting for a number of years. It is most common for younger adults with learning disabilities, autism or mental health conditions who require stable accommodation and support. The individual becomes a genuine part of the carer’s family.

Short Breaks

Short break placements with Shared Lives carers provide temporary respite and a break from a caregiver’s usual responsibilities. Short breaks may occur over a weekend or for a week or two at a time. This offers a valuable opportunity for both the individual and their regular caregiver to receive a break.

Day Support

Some individuals attend a Shared Lives carer’s home during the daytime only. The carer provides support and supervision as needed during the day, but the individual returns to their own home in the evenings. Day support placements meet social and support needs whilst allowing the person to retain their independence.

Roles and Responsibilities

Shared Lives arrangements involve clear roles and responsibilities for the individual, Shared Lives carer and the coordinating agency to ensure everyone understands their role and that needs are appropriately met.

The Individual

• Has the right to be treated with dignity and respect in a safe environment
• Contributes to household tasks like a member of the family
• Makes choices about their care and support
• Responsible for any rent contributions as agreed
• Adheres to household rules and expectations

The Shared Lives Carer

• Provides accommodation, meals and day-to-day support
• Administers medication or prompts the individual to take it
• Supports the individual to access community services and activities
• Maintains records and updates on the individual’s health, well-being and development
• Liaises with the coordinating agency

The Coordinating Agency

• Recruits, trains and approves suitable Shared Lives carers
• Carefully matches individuals to carers
• Provides ongoing advice, support and monitoring of arrangements
• Handles payments to carers on behalf of individuals

Benefits of Shared Lives Services

Shared Lives arrangements offer a range of benefits for the individual receiving support, their family, the Shared Lives carer and the wider community.

For Individuals Receiving Support

• Homely environment within a family setting
• Develops independence, social skills and community connections
• Support is tailored to suit individual needs and preferences
• More affordable than traditional residential care
• Promotes choice, inclusion and positive risk-taking

For Carers

• Provides breaks from caring responsibilities
• Maintains relationships whilst offering regular respite
• Peace of mind that loved one’s needs are met
• Chance to recharge batteries

Challenges of Shared Lives Services

Whilst a Shared Lives arrangement offers many benefits, there are also some challenges that must be considered and managed for successful placements.

Challenges for Individuals

• Adapting to the new home environment
• Separation from family / previous support networks
• Forming new relationships and building trust
• Learning household routines and expectations

Challenges for Carers

• Balancing the needs of all family members
• Allowing private space within the family home
• Managing difficult behaviours if they arise
• Accessing emergency support if required

Comparison with Other Care Models

Shared Lives vs Residential Care Homes

Both options provide full-time accommodation, meals, and care support outside an individual’s family home. However, there are some significant differences:

• Shared Lives arrangements are 1-2 individuals supported in a family setting rather than larger institutional, residential homes
• Shared Lives focuses on relationships, whilst residential care tends to have set staff rosters
• Life revolves around the household family in Shared Lives, structured routine in residential homes
• Individualised support in Shared Lives compared to group-based approach in residential care
• Shared Lives promotes community inclusion; residential care can lead to isolation

Shared Lives vs Foster Care

Both provide family-based care, but there are some key differences:

• Foster care tends to focus on shorter-term placements for children, whilst Shared Lives provides longer-term adult placements
• Shared Lives carers are specifically recruited and trained – foster carers often have less specialised training
• Regular social workers support foster placements; Shared Lives has coordinators specifically trained in this model
• Foster care involves less choice for the child, whilst Shared Lives emphasise individual preference and agency

Shared Lives vs Supported Living

Both facilitate individuals living independently with support, but important distinctions exist:

• Supported living involves living alone or in shared houses, while Shared Lives means living with a family
• More flexible levels of support can be provided through Shared Lives arrangements
• There is no live-in caregiver for round-the-clock support in supported living
• Supported living isolates the individual from family environments
• Shared Lives emphasises family and community integration

Conclusion

Each individual referred enters Shared Lives in a unique situation where the model of care and support is tailored to that individual. They make long-term personalised placements possible in deliberately matched Shared Lives families, so the individual becomes a real part of the family and the community.

Shared Lives services give people who need support out of their own families a caring option that promotes choice, inclusion, independence, and meaningful relationships. This innovative approach brings with it a number of positive outcomes for those supported, Shared Lives carers, families, local agencies and the wider community.

There is nothing more important for a person needing support with daily living activities than to be able to receive care and assistance within their own home. Compared to most other forms of senior care, home care services provide a personalised approach to your loved one.

Help at home as an alternative to facility-based care allows people who require assistance to age gracefully in the place that they would most desire to be. In this article, we will look into the many advantages of in-home support, one of our core services at Nyadowa.

1. Personalised Care

A great benefit of home care is that you can tailor the services to your specific needs and lifestyle. Initial assessments of clients are made by professional home assistants, who learn about their health history, level of mobility, dietary specifications, interests and personal habits.

Then, care plans are developed, specifying the level of assistance that will be provided, including hygiene, making meals, other household tasks, companionship activities, and reminding about medication. These personalised plans change over time, too. In the end, no client ever gets exactly the same regimen. When it comes to help at home, it’s about fitting the services to the needs of each person.

2. Enhanced Comfort

Home care gives people the ability to age gracefully inside familiar settings and possessions with no rigid routines and no unfamiliar faces like, say, nursing homes or hospitals. It can be very soothing to wake up in their own bed, surrounded by memories, treasured belongings, family photos and longtime neighbours.

Again, the ability to dictate your own schedule and to do things you enjoy in a place in which you feel comfortable helps maintain dignity and happiness. Professional home assistants also attempt to cause as little disturbance as possible to current patterns of existence. Home is where the heart is because it’s the place that can offer personalised care in a very comfortable setting.

3. Increased Independence

Depending on the client’s needs and capabilities, home health aides aim to encourage independence as much as possible. Whereas facility-based care often involves strict protocols and regimented schedules, receiving assistance at home promotes freedom of choice and movement.

Home care providers allow clients to maintain control over decision-making while offering just the right level of support to facilitate security and success. Whether it be allowing extra time for someone to dress themselves or providing a steadying hand when walking instead of pushing a wheelchair, home health aides empower people under their care. Help received in their own homes allows clients to preserve dignity and self-reliance.

4. Cost-Effective Solution

Opting for professional assistance within the home is more affordable than facility-based care alternatives in most cases. Government programs can offset expenses, and private home care is generally cheaper per hour than nursing homes. Home health services also reduce costs associated with moving into assisted living communities and avoid financial losses related to selling properties.

Given that home health aides can provide around-the-clock care if necessary, paying for this level of support in a senior living facility would be astronomical. Home modification tools like grab bars, wheelchair ramps, and medical alert systems also cost considerably less than facility care. Healthcare within familiar home settings is possible at a fraction of the price.

5. Family Support and Relief

Caring for an ageing or disabled loved one within the household can heavily tax families emotionally and physically. Well-meaning family members often take on caregiving roles without professional healthcare training. The round-the-clock demands involved with bathing, feeding, transferring, and monitoring loved ones with complex conditions become exhausting over time, resulting in caregiver stress and burnout.

Having supplementary assistance from compassionate, experienced home health aides provides a much-needed respite. Rather than abandoning loved ones in impersonal facilities, families can offer the best care possible within the comfort of home. Professional assistance also alleviates family worries about parents or relatives living entirely alone. Help at home supports the entire family.

6. Customized Meal Preparation

Maintaining optimal nutritional health poses challenges for ageing adults and individuals managing chronic diseases. From grocery shopping and meal planning to cooking well-balanced, diet-appropriate dishes, the process proves demanding without assistance. Home health aides can provide customised meal preparation catered to clients’ changing health states, food preferences and dietary restrictions.

Whether preparing delicious pureed meals for someone with dysphagia or gluten-free, diabetic-friendly dishes for another, in-home meals help ensure no one misses a nutritious meal. One-on-one assistance also means caregivers can adapt menus over time according to altering tastes or abilities. Nutritional needs are taken care of with personalised flair right at home.

7. Medication Management

Managing complex medication regimens challenges even the most organised individuals. Sorting pills, understanding dosages, accurately tracking time schedules, refilling prescriptions and monitoring side effects becomes overwhelming fast. For older adults juggling multiple medications for various chronic conditions, the stakes run even higher. This is where experienced home health aides make a difference.

In-home caregivers provide both reminders about taking medications on time and physical assistance in swallowing pills and administering injections. They also communicate with pharmacies and doctors’ offices for prescription refills and clarification around usage and effects. By assisting with every step of the medication management process, home health aides ensure residents never miss a dose.

8. Companionship and Social Interaction

Loneliness and isolation profoundly impact both mental and physical health, especially among vulnerable older adults. Without regular social interaction and a sense of purpose, individuals can spiral into depression and experience accelerated cognitive decline. Home health aides help prevent these adverse outcomes through genuine human connection and companionship.

Whether conversing together, engaging in hobbies, attending local community events or even enjoying virtual interactions, professional in-home caregivers go above and beyond basic support services. Forming these caring bonds fosters improved mood, self-esteem and engagement levels. Clients feel both cared for and about. Linking residents to additional services like friendly visitor programs or volunteer opportunities provides connection. Help at home combats loneliness.

9. Assistance with Daily Activities

Coping without help to complete fundamental daily living activities like bathing, oral care, dressing, toileting or moving around poses safety risks and can be demoralising for anyone managing illness or injuries. Trained home health aides assist clients experiencing difficulties with a range of key tasks, providing physical assistance when needed while encouraging independence wherever possible.

Caregivers offer a steady hand getting in and out of the bath or wheelchair, gentle reminders about wearing clean clothes, or suggestions about adaptive devices that make eating easier. Aiding with daily personal activities both preserves dignity and maintains optimal functioning. No one needs to struggle alone with everyday living tasks at home when professional assistance is available.

10. Safety and Fall Prevention

Remaining injury-free at home grows more challenging with advanced age and mobility issues. Hazards like area rugs, clutter, slippery tile, uneven surfaces, poor lighting, electrical cords and reaching for high cabinets all elevate risks. This is where vigilant home health aides make environments safer.

Caregivers install grab bars and railings by stairs, improve lighting throughout living spaces, secure rugs, organise rooms for easy access, arrange furniture for clear paths, remind clients to wear shoes and suggest raised toilet seats or shower stools. They also provide physical support with transfers and ambulation. Further fall prevention comes through assessing vitamin D and calcium intake plus medications impacting stability.

11. Transportation Assistance

Accessing transportation for essential doctors’ appointments, physical therapy sessions, lab work, pharmacy trips and even social engagements overwhelms those unable to drive independently. Coordinating rides with relatives or public transit services challenges clients with mobility, hearing or cognitive issues. Having a consistent, reliable transportation resource improves medical compliance and community engagement.

Courteous home health aides provide accompaniment to any destination, assisting with navigating mobility devices like wheelchairs and walkers, acting as hearing guides and memory prompts during outings, plus offering steadying physical support. Escorted transportation from dependable assistants allows clients to access healthcare and community offerings with confidence.

12. Housekeeping and Home Maintenance

Preserving tidy, well-functioning living environments grows difficult for those with decreased mobility, strength and stamina levels. Everyday housekeeping tasks like changing bed linens, scrubbing bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, washing floors, cleaning out refrigerators and taking out garbage become monumental. Dangerous clutter accumulates while things like burned-out light bulbs, leaky faucets and full wastebaskets go unaddressed.

Dedicated home health assistants tackle all upkeep needs through intensive house cleaning sessions along with preventative home maintenance. Helpers keep living spaces clean, sanitary and well-lit so residents can receive guests or simply navigate safely. They ensure comfortable living conditions don’t degrade due to overlooked chores.

Conclusion

It is clear from this article that getting help within one’s beloved home is safer and more independent, and it allows for a better quality of life than any institutional care setting. Home health aides provide personalised, skilled help with everything from hygiene to housekeeping to inspire autonomy and form real relationships.

It is also good to know that families are relieved because their loved ones have compassionate care. At-home help allows people to age with happiness in place, maintain dignity at the end of life, heal most optimally after hospitalisation, and flourish in familiar surroundings. For many reasons, your home is where the heart is, and your care should be also.

Alzheimer’s Month

Its Alzheimer’s month, I took part in the long memory walk at the Watford Cassibury Park to support the work of the Alzheimer’s Society. We work with people living with Dementia, and it is humbling to see how their families support them on a daily basis. We appreciate the work the Alzheimer’s Society does and we turn to them for the valuable information and all they do to support people living with Dementia. To the families of those living with Dementia thank you for all you do, its not easy but we

I enjoyed the walk met different people and the chatterbox that I am managed to talk to Councillor Nigel Bell who is in one of the pictures he was walking in memory of a colleague who passed away recently and lived with Dementia.

Thank you to everyone who has donated much appreciated. If you have not, please your help is much appreciated. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/WatfordMW24-LandisoMasaya?utm_medium=proxy_fundraising&utm_content=WatfordMW24-LandisoMasaya&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

We’re #CelebratingSocialCare this April.

This month we’re joining Skills for Care in #CelebratingSocialCare.

People who work in social care are highly skilled, passionate and hard-working and it’s important that we all take time to recognise the work that people who work in social care do and the impact this has in supporting people who draw on care to live their lives how they choose.  

That’s why at Nyadowa Care we’re joining in on #CelebratingSocialCare this month.

At Nyadowa Care we have a team of 18 people including the Registered manager , and we provide support to the elderly, people living with a learning disability, physical disabilities, live in care, palliative care, respite, and companionship.

We know home is where the heart is and we understand and believe that, hence myself and my team work hard to ensure we provide the best care to those choosing to stay at home. Our team is small, and we focus on individual care needs and review those needs as and when required to ensure people are supported in a holistic way and we want to celebrate this with everyone working in social care.

In April we’re #CelebratingSocialCare by doing longer welfare visits with clients. Here is a picture of me and 97year old namesake sharing a one off treat from good old #Greggs #sausageroll #tottenhamcake. Sharing our blog post with everyone and hoping for some shout outs.

We also want to share some of the great work and recent achievements of our team. Elizabeth, Marcia, Patience, Vaidah and Nqobile (a tenner for the right pronounciation) have signed up to advance their skills and knowledge enrolling onto the Level 3 and Level 5 courses which is brilliant news. You have our support guys, well done. #skillsForcare #celebratingSocialcare #HCPA #vocationaltraining #HertfordshireCountyCouncil #Pottersbarbusiness

For any enquiries please do not hestate to contact us, we will be happy to help you or your loved ones stay well at home.

Age ain’t nothing but a number

I went for a welfare visit to AJ, she had a love note that had been left by her dotting 90year old husband. Aww says AJ in her gregarious voice ‘isn’t he sweet he took time to write me that sweet note.’ Forget the roses and anonymous cards at Valentines, in this house its Valentines every day.

The two of them make my heart melt and this made me think, love transcends time, age, and circumstances. It has the ability to touch lives in profound ways and its impact can be felt at any stage and whatever you are going through in life.

At 90years one has lived a long and eventful life. The memories, experiences and relationships that have been built over the years shape the understanding of love. At this stage of life, still loving someone is often a reflection of the deep connection and shared experiences that they have built over a lifetime.

It shows the commitment they have for one another. The loyalty, challenges and obstacles faced together and as a family have strengthened them both to create this love union at this later age in life that is unbreakable.

Albeit shouting to hear each other and all their other ailments that they complain to each other all day, still loving someone at that age shows a conscious choice to make the most of the time left and to live and love those that continue to bring joy in our lives.

In old age having someone in your life who understands you becomes even more crucial, and it provides a sense of comfort and support. It’s a reminder that even with health limitations and challenges of aging, love can be a constant source of strength and solace.

We live in a world filled with the importance of youth and new beginnings, looking at stories of love at 90 years old serves as a reminder that love is not bound by age. We must cherish the love we have, nurture it, and continue to love one another regardless of age. At Nyadowa Care we firmly encourage and support the elderly love birds to stay together and share their memories with us. And a little bit of me says I want some of that:).