What does it do?Working in partnership with local authorities Bield Flexicare services currently operate in:
- Fife – Leven, Dunfermline and Glenrothes
- Glasgow – East, North and West of the City
- North Lanarkshire.- Chryston area
The term flexicare reflects the flexible nature of the service. It is designed to meet the needs of older people with dementia living in the local community. The service offers support both to the older person and their carers.
Flexicare is unique in that it ‘enables’ individuals to continue normal day to day living. It is entirely needs led with support being provided at a time and place that will give maximum benefit to the service user and / or their carer.
The service operates 7 days a week. Support can be anything from 30 minutes per week to daily assistance. The programme is developed to suit an individuals needs.
The aims of Flexicare are to:
- Work closely with service users, their families and other main carers to develop a support package tailored to individual need
- Develop flexible packages of care to enable people with dementia and those caring for them to lead full and varied lives as part of the community in which they live.
- Work in close partnership with other agencies as part of a multi disciplinary team providing support to enable the service user to continue living in their own home.
- Enable people to be discharged home from hospital or long term care
- Offer practical help and advice to carers.
The help Flexicare can provide
The service encourages individuals to maintain life skills and continue living independently in the community. This could be helping someone to cook or use domestic equipment in a safe manner. It could mean helping someone to visit an old friend or continue a hobby. The service can lead to new interests. It offers the opportunity to meet new people through visits to our lunch clubs and groups.
A personal support plan is developed with the individual and their carers. This plan details how and when the service will be provided. An essential part of the service is to provide consistent support. This is maintained through the allocation of a key worker and an associate worker who provides cover at holiday and other times. These key staff are carefully matched to service users through common interests and backgrounds.
Although a plan is agreed when the service commences at Flexicare we can easily adapt personal plans to suit changing individual needs.