Personal care

Things like helping someone to get up or go to bed, bathing, showering, cleaning their teeth, doing their hair or make-up and getting dressed. You’ll help them to go to the toilet or manage their continence, to look after their skin and to help manage prosthetics and other aids and equipment. You’ll also offer support with keeping active and preparing meals and drinks. Personal care visits are usually completed no later than 10pm, although for live-in care you might need to assist clients during the night.

Practical support

This is everything that isn’t personal care. So, things like helping around the house with cleaning, tidying, washing-up, going shopping and putting shopping away, making beds and emptying bins - all the tasks that need doing to keep a home running well.

You might also help someone with household management, to see their friends and relatives or to accompany them on activities outside the home. Typically, this sort of care is delivered during the day. 

Health-related tasks

If you have the right supervision and training, you can also support with healthcare tasks. This might include helping with medicines, eye-drops, ointments and nail care, as well as support with catheters, stomas and bowel management.

If you think of home care as similar to caring for a family member, you won’t go far wrong. People love it because just as every client is different, so is every day. It is hard work and it can be challenging, but seeing your care make a positive difference to someone’s quality of life is truly rewarding.