When you’re exploring care options for an older relative for the first time, it can feel overwhelming. You hear terms like “home care” and “personal care”, but what do they all really mean? More importantly, what exactly do home care helpers do day-to-day to support older adults?
If you’re new to this world, you’re not alone in having questions. Many families find themselves in unfamiliar territory, trying to understand what kind of support is available and whether it’s right for their loved one. The good news is that home care is far more comprehensive and person-centred than many people initially realise.
At Care Santé, we’ve been delivering care at home since December 2020 across South Yorkshire, Humberside, East Midlands, Central England, London and Kent. Through our family of brands—Valley Care, Helpers Homecare and Care Santé—we work with vulnerable adults of all ages who need support to live as independently as possible in their own homes.
Understanding Personal Care Support
One of the core aspects of home care is helping with personal care. This means supporting older adults with the intimate, everyday tasks that many of us take for granted until they become challenging.
Care professionals assist with bathing and showering, always ensuring the process is carried out with dignity and respect. They help with toileting and continence care, approaching these sensitive matters with compassion and professionalism. Getting dressed, maintaining personal grooming, and looking your best might seem simple, but for someone with limited mobility or health challenges, these tasks can become difficult or even impossible without support.
Personal care includes:
- Bathing, showering and washing
- Toileting and continence management
- Dressing and grooming assistance
- Medication support and prompting
Managing medications is another crucial area where care professionals make a real difference. For older adults taking multiple prescriptions, medications must be taken at the right times and in the correct doses. Carers can administer medication or prompt and support self-administration, providing peace of mind for families.
Practical Household Support
Beyond personal care, there’s a whole range of practical support that helps maintain a comfortable, safe home environment. This is about more than just housework—it’s about enabling older adults to continue living independently in familiar surroundings.
Meal Preparation and Nutrition
Preparing nutritious meals becomes increasingly challenging with age. Care professionals ensure that nutritional and hydration needs are met by preparing meals that aren’t just healthy but also enjoyable and suited to individual preferences and dietary requirements.
Keeping the Home Running Smoothly
Household tasks include:
- Light housework and general tidying
- Laundry and changing bedding
- Shopping for groceries and essentials
- Running errands
A clean, well-maintained home contributes enormously to well-being and quality of life. Professional carers ensure these standards are maintained so older adults don’t have to struggle with physically demanding tasks.
Companionship and Social Connection
This is perhaps the most underestimated aspect of home care, yet it’s incredibly important. Loneliness and social isolation affect many older adults, particularly those with limited mobility or no family nearby.
Care professionals provide companionship, conversation and a friendly face. They’re there to listen, to chat about the day, to share stories, and simply to be present. These genuine human connections can transform someone’s quality of life.
Staying Connected to the Community
Supporting community access and participation in social activities is another vital role. This might mean accompanying someone to a local group, helping them attend religious services, or going for a walk in the park together.
Staying connected to hobbies and interests helps older adults maintain their sense of identity and purpose. Whether it’s continuing a lifelong passion for gardening, attending a favourite club, or simply getting out for coffee with friends, professional support makes it possible.
Flexible Care to Match Individual Needs
What makes home care particularly valuable is its flexibility. At Care Santé, we offer everything from a single weekly visit through to 24-hour care, depending on what someone needs.
Care options available:
- Visiting care – from weekly visits to several calls daily
- 24-hour care – round-the-clock support for intensive needs
- Live-in care – a care professional living in your home
- Respite care – giving family carers essential breaks
- Reablement – short-term intensive support after illness or hospital stays
This flexibility means care can be scaled precisely to match someone’s requirements. Some people need minimal support to maintain their independence, whilst others require more intensive care for complex needs. The approach is always tailored to the individual.
Specialist Support for Complex Conditions
Home care professionals also provide specialist support for specific health challenges that require particular expertise and sensitivity.
Dementia Care
Supporting someone with dementia requires specialist knowledge and a compassionate approach. Trained care professionals understand how to communicate effectively, manage challenging situations, and help people live well post-diagnosis in comfortable, familiar surroundings where they feel safe.
Palliative and End-of-Life Care
For those with life-limiting diagnoses, professional carers provide palliative and end-of-life care with compassion and dignity. They support pain management and comfort whilst helping families navigate this difficult time. Many people wish to spend their final days at home surrounded by loved ones, and professional care makes this possible.
Brain Injury Support
Following brain injuries, people often face significant daily challenges. Specialist care professionals provide tailored support to manage these challenges whilst working towards rehabilitation goals, always focusing on maximising independence.
The Care Santé Approach
At Care Santé, we work with customers who have physical, cognitive and mental health challenges, as well as those with long-term or life-limiting diagnoses like dementia and cancer. Our goal is simple: we want our customers to live full, satisfying lives and achieve whatever matters most to them.
What Makes Our Approach Different
We’re building inspirational home care in local communities by putting our people at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to attract, nurture and develop the very best care professionals, ensuring they’re heard, valued and recognised for their essential work.
We believe passionately that when we look after our team properly, they deliver outstanding care to our customers. Our values of dependability, ambition, collaboration and passion shine through in every interaction. We set high standards for ourselves as an employer and care provider, and we have equally high expectations of our people.
How Home Care Actually Works
If you’re considering home care for the first time, you might be wondering about the practical side of things. How does it all work? What’s the process?
The journey with Care Santé:
- Initial assessment – We visit at home to understand needs, preferences and goals
- Personalised care plan – We develop a detailed plan addressing all support requirements
- Careful matching – We match care professionals based on compatibility and personality
- Introduction period – We introduce your care professional before support begins
- Regular reviews – We continually review and adapt care as needs change
Throughout this process, communication is key. We keep families informed and involved whilst respecting the customer’s independence and privacy. Care needs change over time, so our regular reviews ensure support remains appropriate and effective.
Funding Your Care
At Care Santé, we work with customers who privately fund their care, those wholly or partially funded by their Local Authority or Continuing Healthcare, and those who choose to manage their funding via Direct Payments. This flexibility means home care is accessible to more people than many families initially realise.
When you understand what professional care at home actually involves, you begin to see the profound impact it has. It enables older adults to remain in their own homes surrounded by memories, familiar possessions and their community. It helps maintain independence and dignity whilst providing essential support with tasks that have become difficult.
Professional care provides security and peace of mind for older adults and their families alike. The relationships that develop between care professionals and customers are often deeply meaningful—genuine human connections built on trust, respect and shared experiences.
Is Home Care Right for Your Family?
Whether you’re exploring options for the first time or looking to improve existing care arrangements, the key is finding care professionals who share your values and understand what matters most to your loved one.
At Care Santé, our care professionals are caring, committed individuals who approach their work with energy, enthusiasm and genuine compassion. They’re honest, inclusive, inspiring and curious, always looking for ways to improve the support they provide.
We deliver truly life-changing care that helps older adults live full, satisfying lives. Every customer’s care is tailored to their specific needs and preferences because we understand that everyone is different. If you’d like to learn more about how we could support your loved one, we’d be delighted to discuss your specific circumstances and explore how we might help.
