Home rehab scheme makes an early impact

RE-ABLED: Councillor Dale Mulgrew calls in for a cup of tea with Mrs Allen, the first service user to complete the six-week reablement programme.

A new pilot home care rehabilitation service that helps older people and people with disabilities is proving a success following its launch earlier this year.

The reablement service, run by Rochdale Council, provides intensive support in a person’s own home for up to six weeks. Patients are referred to the service by social workers, care homes or the NHS after an individual is discharged from hospital following a fall or illness.

After an assessment, a care worker provides a rehabilitation care programme tailored to the person’s needs and helps with personal care and support in the home. The aim is to help the individual regain their confidence and skills, so that they can continue to live independently in their own home.

Since the service launched in February, 66 people across Rochdale have accessed support through the service.

Following a visit to see Mrs Mary Allen, the first service user to complete the six-week reablement process, Councillor Dale Mulgrew, cabinet member for health and social care, said: “This is a fantastic service and is already starting to make a real difference to people’s lives. It’s a real innovation in the way that we deliver care and support. Although social services have always been there, this is a new defined approach with a clear objective of reablement from the outset. It provides independence, rather than dependence on continued care.”

Up to the end of June 2008, 40 people had completed the six week programme: 

• 23 were successfully re-abled so no longer require any ongoing support and are now fully independent living in their own homes. 
• 3 are now in receipt of Direct Payments which has given them more choice and control over who provides their support.
• 7 have been referred onto an independent provider for ongoing support.
• 6 have either been re-admitted to hospital or have cancelled the service

Councillor Mulgrew added: “I’m sure as it develops the service will get even better, so I hope that the pilot will continue and be made available to many more people. We’ll continue to monitor the people using the reablement service to ensure that their outcomes are much improved.”

Comments from people who’ve used the reablement service already include:

• “It’s given me the confidence to be more independent again after my fall”
• “The staff are lovely and treat me with dignity; I can now do all my own personal care again”
• “They encourage me to do things for myself and support me, they even feed my cat”
• “I can go to work knowing mum is ok, and as a family we are actively involved in the care planning”