I had a candidate come in for an interview for a carer role last week, and we got to talking about her father. She said he really needs some companionship support however is stubborn and always has an answer for why he doesn’t need someone to come in and visit. His wife is extremely active and is always out and about, which ultimately leaves him feeling lonely due to his reluctance to get involved in activities that the retirement village they live in offers.

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I suggested to her that she should include him in the decision-making process, so he feels part of the process, and that I pop out and have a chat with him, so he sees a face behind the company. I also said that even though it sounds counter-intuitive, having a companion carer will allow him to retain his independence – and he can even increase the level of homecare he receives so he doesn’t have to go into rest-home care, and can instead stay in his independent unit with his wife.

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Including your loved one in the decision about their future care plans is vitally important. They need to know what options are available to them so they can make a choice. Even in a retirement village, people do like to remain in their independent units and receive homecare support to keep their level of independence up. With the news that we won’t have enough rest home and hospital level care beds for those who will need them in the future (if historic building rates continued, there could be a shortage of almost 12,000 aged residential care beds by 2032), homecare support will become more of a consideration for many.