Types of Care

Care work is as varied and unique as those we care for. As a result, there are a variety of avenues you can choose to go down should you wish to work in care! Take a look at just some of the kinds of settings you might want to work in below.

Home Care

Domiciliary care staff support individuals in their homes with various household tasks, personal care, and more. You could be supporting individuals with learning difficulties, mental health problems, sensory impairment, or physical disabilities. You will usually visit individuals on your own or with another member of staff - dependent on the individual's needs. Many companies will require members of staff to drive and have access to a car.

Residential Care Home

In a residential care home, individuals usually live in single rooms and have access to on-site care services. These social care jobs provide personal care and assistance with daily tasks while still maintaining the patient's independence. Some homes treat needs such as dementia, terminal illnesses, or learning disabilities, and as such, each residential care home may function differently.

Nursing Home

A nursing home is a place for people who don't need to be in a hospital but can't be cared for at home. Nursing homes have skilled nurses on hand, and staff provide medical care as well as physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Some homes have dedicated units for patients with Alzheimer's, and many homes let couples live together. Nursing homes are suitable for anyone who requires 24-hour care, regardless of age.

Day Centres

A day centre can be managed privately, by the council, or by the NHS, and they aim to prevent social isolation. Social care workers in day centres provide many services, including meals and activities, respite services, and help with personal care.

Rehabilitation Centres

Rehabilitation centres support individuals who need to live independently in the community. Social care workers that choose an adult social care job in a rehabilitation centre could be helping patients recovering from illness, or struggling with drug or alcohol dependence. These programmes are usually offered in a residential setting.

Shared Lives

Shared Lives schemes support adults that struggle to live independently. The schemes match someone with an approved carer, who will share their family and community life and offer care and support when needed. Some patients move in with their carers, while others are regular daytime visitors. Some combine daytime and overnight visits - dependent on the individual's needs and preferences.

Supported Living

Social care workers provide varying levels of support, from 1-hour to 24-hour care, to help individuals remain in the community. The type of work may include assistance with daily tasks, supporting people to attend work/college, or engage in the community. Patients needing support may have high levels of independence but require support with managing emotions, relationships, or personal care.

Social care can take the form of many different types which will suit different people.It is 365 days a year job 24 hours a day to ensure that individuals receive the care they are entitled to and need. Listed below are the varieties of different care settings which are available.The Kings Fund has some great information to help you decide what setting you would prefer a job in.

Domiciliary care staff offer support to individuals in their own home with various household tasks, personal care and other activities which allows individuals to maintain their independence and quality of life. Domiciliary care workers ensure the service users they are visiting are keeping their quality of life and will be an essential part of their daily routine. You could be supporting individuals with learning difficulties, mental health problems, sensory impairment or physical disabilities.

As a domiciliary care staff member will usually visit individuals on your own or with another member of staff- dependent on the individuals needs. Many companies will require members of staff to drive – and have access to a car or willing to utilise public transport as travelling is required to get to each individual.

When applying for jobs in this sector ensure you are finding out the expectations from the company, as to whether you need to be driving for the role advertised.

A residential care home is a setting where several individuals live, usually in single rooms, and have access to on-site care services.

A residential care home provides personal care and assistance with daily tasks for the residents with the aim to ensure the care home is a simulation of their own homes and the individuals are comfortable where they are living. There are some homes which are registered to meet specific needs such as: dementia, terminal illnesses or learning disabilities.

These homes can house several service users dependent on their specific needs, the size of the home and the delivery of care. Care homes run differently dependent on this – for example a day in a Learning Disability home for young adults will carry out different daily tasks compared to a residential home for older adults with dementia.

A nursing home is a place for people who don't need to be in a hospital but can't be cared for at home. Most nursing homes have nursing aides and skilled nurses on hand 24 hours a day

Some nursing homes are set up like a hospital. The staff provides medical care, as well as physical, speech and occupational therapy. There might be a nurses' station on each floor. Other nursing homes try to be more like home. They try to have a neighbourhood feel. Often, they don't have a fixed day-to-day schedule, and kitchens might be open to residents. Staff members are encouraged to develop relationships with residents.

Some nursing homes have special care units for people with serious memory problems such as Alzheimer's disease. Some will let couples live together. Nursing homes are not only for older adults, but for anyone who requires 24-hour care.

A day centre can be managed privately, by the council or by the NHS.

Day centres aims are to ensure that social isolation does not occur for individuals. Day centres can offer a variety of services for the individuals attending- such as meals, activities and gives them an opportunity to meet new people and continue to socialise. Day centre staff can sometimes be required to deliver personal care for individuals attending.

Day centres can offer a respite service for individuals who need full time care which is being delivered by family members. The respite can offer a change of scenery for the service users and gives the full-time carer time off for themselves- an important situation for all involved.

Rehabilitation is available to support a variety of needs for individuals who need support to go back into independent living in the community.

This could be for individuals who are recovering from illness; such as a stroke or needing support to live a life which is drug and/or alcohol free.

These programmes are usually offered in a residential setting with the aim to get the individual back into the community.

Shared lives schemes support adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems or other needs that make it harder for them to live on their own.

The schemes match someone who needs care with an approved carer. The carer shares their family and community life, and gives care and support to the individual.Some people move in with their shared lives carer, while others are regular daytime visitors.

Some combine daytime and overnight visits- dependent on the individuals needs and preferences.

Let's work together.

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As part of the development of recruitment around the care sector in Kent - Kent Care Professionals have a number of roles live and readily available now. Please click here to search for those roles and apply for your next step in social care in Kent.

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