What is re-ablement
Re-ablement is short-term support to help people rebuild confidence in the skills they need for day-to-day living and become as independent as possible. It can help you to live safely and independently at home through:
- provision of any equipment you need to help you with your daily living; and/or
- support and assistance to reduce the amount of care and support you need.
This may be support with your personal care, to manage medication, or to prepare a meal. The Adult Social Care Service will work with you so that you learn (or re-learn) important tasks you need for everyday life. Re-ablement is about helping people to do things for themselves rather than having things done for them. The programme is time-limited and focused on helping you to achieve goals that you set yourself for maintaining your independence. Programmes can last from as little as a few days to a couple of weeks. Many people who participate in a re-ablement programme find that afterwards they can cope very well on their own, without the need for social care support. Re-ablement will be considered for all adults who are new to the service and require help living at home and after a stay in hospital*. The Adult Social Care team will discuss with you what your goals are and how a programme of re-ablement can help you to achieve them. GPs and other professionals can also refer people for re-ablement.
Who decides on the support that I need?
A member of the team will talk through with you what you would like to achieve and how we can make it easier for you to do the things that you want. Together we will agree the goals you want to work towards and identify how we will support you to achieve them. These goals and support will be written down as a re-ablement plan for you and the re-ablement workers to follow. We will give you a copy of your plan and you will have a regular review to check your progress against each of your goals.
* There are some exceptional circumstances, such as end-of-life care, that are not suitable for re-ablement.
How will re-ablement work for me?
Your re-ablement schedule will be tailored to your individual needs to meet the plan that you have agreed. At first you may need several visits every day but as you progress, the number of visits may reduce. By giving you control, the goals you set yourself will enable you to maintain your independence. You will develop confidence in your ability to manage the skills necessary for day-to-day living. As a result your health and wellbeing will improve and hopefully this will impact on your quality of life.
Will I need special equipment?
During your re-ablement programme, we may suggest you try carrying out some tasks in a slightly different way to make them easier for you to do on your own. We may suggest you try using equipment or assistive technology to make a task easier.