Adult social services
We help older people to stay in their own homes
Staff in our Older People's Services assess needs and support customers who are over 65 years, and their carers. Whenever possible, we try to help older people to stay active and independent while continuing to live in their own homes.
We do this by working closely with other agencies to provide the best possible range of care services. Our staff can advise you on what is available for older people in your area, for example:
We help with residential care
We can arrange short-term stays in a residential or nursing home| to allow carers to take a short break. We can also arrange longer-term residential or nursing home places for people who need a higher level of care, and are no longer able to live at home. See Entering a Residential Home for the First Time
All residential homes in Bedfordshire are registered and inspected by the Commission for Social |Care Inspection|. The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) can let you have a complete list of registered homes, and the last inspection report of a home.
We help those most in need
We talk with you to assess your needs| and discuss with you what support may be available. Sometimes we may not be able to provide any help at all. This is because we have to give priority to those who need our services most. To help us decide we use a set of guidelines called "eligibility criteria|". We will always listen to your wishes about the sort of help you want. If you wish, you can have a friend or advocate to speak on your behalf.
If it is appropriate for us to help, we will then agree with you a specially tailored package of care. We will write this down in a Care Plan and give you a copy. The care package may include support from other agencies such as health, housing or voluntary organisations. In this way we can arrange for the best possible range of care.
Or you may choose to have a Direct Payment |to buy the social care and support you need instead of having services arranged for you.
How much do you pay?
You will normally have to pay something towards our services. We charge according to your ability to pay, so we will need information about your financial circumstances. If you have £22,250 or more in savings we will charge you in full for residential care. We explain this in more detail when we make our assessment. We can also advise you on other services.
How you can get help
If you feel you need help for yourself, a friend or relative, contact your nearest office|. After your first contact an assessment interview may be arranged. There is no charge for an assessment.
Help us to help you
We are constantly looking for ways to improve our services for older people in Bedfordshire. To do this we need your comments.
How do you think we could make our services better? Is there a special problem in your area? Your views, suggestions or complaints will be carefully noted at our local offices and centres (we have a formal complaints procedure). Call your nearest office| for our leaflet -Comments, Compliments, Complaints |or ask a social worker.