When you (or your loved one) is living with a medical or neurological condition that requires complex care, it could seem that your options are limited to a residential setting or specialist hospital. In fact, this is not always the case. There are many ways in which you can work with a home care agency to provide the level of complex care and support that you or your loved one need, right in your own home.
Complex care providers work with a wide range of clients in their own homes. These include people of all ages living with chronic and degenerative medical conditions, neurological conditions and disabilities. Other groups of people needing complex care can include older people and those who have experienced serious injuries and life-changing accidents.
Some people in these situations have strong family support, while others have a smaller network to rely on. Complex care can enhance life for people in both of these scenarios. The main difference between complex care and domiciliary care is that the former requires a higher level of medical experience for certain tasks. Complex care can also be given alongside other forms of support, such as nursing care, counselling and emotional support or 24/7 live-in care.
Which types of conditions can be supported by complex care?
The nature of complex care is that it is very much led by the individual circumstances the person receiving the support is experiencing. Often, they will have differing needs each day depending on how they feel, or how their condition is progressing – or not. Symptoms might affect them to a lesser or greater degree every day. Or there could be a key development, such as a medical appointment, medication change or shift in treatment regime that needs to be taken into account.
Some conditions that can benefit particularly from long-term, complex care include strokes and brain injuries, dementia, epilepsy, neurological conditions, spinal cord injuries, MS, Parkinson’s, Huntingdon’s and motor neurone disease. In addition, people recovering from serious accidents and injuries who have a prognosis of partial or full recovery can benefit from complex care. Detailed interventions can aid rehab and speed-up their recovery. Complex care can also be provided as part of a wider package of support services for those receiving end-of-life, or palliative care.
Different types of complex care
Complex care is often given alongside many different forms of personal, social, medical and healthcare support. It can be overseen by registered nurses, doctors, therapists and specially trained carers. For people who require constant monitoring and support, complex care can be provided 24/7 by a group of trained carers who stay in your home with you on a shift basis. This includes sleeping in your home overnight for any night-time medication, toileting help or medical emergencies. This offers the reassurance of always having someone with you to call on straight away. It also means that you can enjoy provide companionship, conversation and social support.
Other options include having complex care delivered by a visiting professional. They will come to your home by prior arrangement at set times each day, as often as you need it. This can help you establish a workable routine, as well as retain more independence. Finally, complex care can be part of a respite care package provided to give regular carers a break and the person being supported a change of company or scene. This latter tends to be more of a short-term arrangement, but it can prove invaluable in the right circumstances.
What type of tasks come under the complex care umbrella?
Complex care can require specialist medical training and the use of specialist equipment or clinical interventions. Some examples of this include catheter and stoma management, help with respiratory equipment, tracheostomy support, pump and PEG feeding, IV drugs administration, ventilation machines and oxygen delivery. Each person will have their own individual needs, which may require one or more specialist services.
Often, complex care services like these will also be provided in alignment with physiotherapy, emotional support and counselling and social care intervention. Mental health challenges often accompany long-term medical conditions requiring complex care. So, complex care providers also need to be aware of signs of poor mental health and avenues to seek further support. Everything can be agreed upon at an initial consultation. The precise details of the complex care being offered can then be adjusted as the arrangement progresses.
