Our Services: Home Care

Home Care (also called Care at Home) services are provided through the Western Isles Integrated Joint Board (IJB).

The comforts of home mean a lot to people – whether they are growing old and less able, if they live alone and are just back from hospital after an operation or an illness, or if they have some other condition which makes them less able than most to cope with the ordinary tasks of daily life.

The purpose of the Home Care Service is to provide care to people in their own homes. The level of care will be decided following an assessment by a Care Assessor or a Social Worker to ensure that the care being provided is sufficient to meet individual eligible needs.

For further information contact Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (tel. 01851 600501) and ask for either the Home Care or Care at Home service.

Faire

The ‘Faire’ service gives an automatic link from the user’s home telephone to the computerised alarm receiving centre in Stornoway, which is staffed by a team of trained operators. The staff will handle calls efficiently, quickly summoning help when it is needed. Conversations can be in English or Gaelic.  To visit the Faire service website click here.

Other useful links

Support for Unpaid Carers
A carer is anyone who looks after a friend or family member due to old age, addiction, disability, physical or mental illness.  ‘Looking after’ can mean helping with things like shopping, domestic tasks, emotional assistance and personal care.  If this sounds like you, you may be a carer.  Find out more at: www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/support-for-unpaid-carers

Additional local support can also be found on our dedicated ‘I am a Carer' page. 

Care Information Scotland
Care Information Scotland (CIS) is a phone, webchat and website service providing information about care services for people living in Scotland.  Telephone 0800 011 3200 or visit www.careinfoscotland.scot 

Self-Directed Support
Self-Directed Support enables those who are eligible for social care support to get greater choice and control over how they receive these services. This would mean they (or their carer) would become an employer, and would employ an individual (from monies received by local authority/other funding routes), to obtain care services ‘personalised' to individual needs and wishes.  Telephone 0800 011 3200 or visit www.careinfoscotland.scot/topics/how-to-get-services/self-directed-support 

Money/Benefits
You can find out what benefits you could get and how to claim them using the free to use and anonymous online Benefits Calculator at www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Alternatively, you can find out if you are eligible for benefits or grants, or are entitled to additional benefits by contacting your local Citizens Advice Bureau on 0800 028 1456 or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland

Power of Attorney (living will)
Firstly, it is important to note the difference between a Will and a Power of Attorney – a Will only applies after your death, whereas a Power of Attorney only applies while you are alive. 

A Power of Attorney (or POA) is a legal document in which you grant someone that you know and trust, authority to take action or make decisions on your behalf, when you no longer have capacity to do so.  For example, to safeguard your financial and health wishes when you are alive but, for whatever reason, are no longer able to do so yourself.

The law says you have capacity if you are capable of acting, making decisions, communicating decisions, understanding decisions or remembering decisions.  However, every year thousands of people across Scotland (at any age) can lose capacity – it could be due to an accident, a head injury, a stroke or an ongoing progressive illness, such as dementia.  Accidents or illnesses can happen at any age, so the sooner you complete your Power of Attorney, the better.

It also, and most importantly, means that should you no longer have capacity and are without a Power of Attorney, no-one (including your spouse/partner, parent(s) or anyone else) is legally able to manage your health or financial affairs on your behalf.   Should this happen, it is likely that the Social Work Department would take control of decisions relating to your health and financial affairs.  Your family/friend(s) may be able to overturn this via a Guardianship Order through the Court process, but it should be noted that this can be a timely and costly process.

Once completed, your Power of Attorney should be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian as soon as possible.  If you wish, your solicitor can safely hold onto the deed for you until you are unable to make decisions for yourself.

You may also be eligible for Legal Aid to help you set up your Power of Attorney.  Find our more at mypowerofattorney.org.uk

Power of Attorney: Local Short Films
To raise awareness on the importance of having a Power of Attorney (PoA), NHS Western Isles has partnered with local solicitor firms Ken MacDonald & Co, Anderson Macarthur Solicitor & Notaries and MacDonald MacIver & Co Limited, to develop a series of 6 short information films.  Simply click on each to watch: