Information on The Role of the Independent
Care Adviser is detailed below. Please note that every individual's
situation is unique. For advice tailored to your specific
needs it is suggested you speak to an Independent Care Adviser.
For information on the nationwide Independent Care Adviser
this site recommends, click
here.
You are making an important decision! Have you
answered the 6 key questions when considering your care needs?
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An Independent Care Adviser is an understanding
professional who will listen to an individual, help determine
an individual's needs, assess an individual's care requirements,
provide the best possible information and advice on suitable
care options, help select the right care option and provide
ongoing monitoring of care.
An Independent Care Adviser can provide all
of these as one overall service or any one of these as a self-contained
discrete service.
Choosing the most suitable care for a relative
or friend is never simple. Enlisting the services of an Independent
Care Adviser can be an invaluable aid to establishing and
making the best choice of care.
Many older people will be living happily in
their own home, when either gradually - or suddenly - they
realise they cannot cope. Frightened of losing their independence
and perhaps unwilling to be a burden to those closest to them,
they may say nothing. However, in due course, the risk of
accident and self-neglect will generally result in the need
for some level of care. The people responsible for resolving
these care issues are normally family, friends or even a Solicitor
with Power of Attorney.
Families
will usually have received some medical information about
their relative, but may be unsure about the care options that
exist and which option is the most appropriate. Unless the
care services are to be provided and paid for by the Local
Authority, families are left to their own devices to select
and pay for care.
The role of an Independent Care Adviser is not
to push individuals towards a particular outcome, but to provide
all the necessary information and support that the older person
and the family will need to make their own decisions. Independent
Care Advisers have the information and knowledge to guide
individuals and/or families through all the care options available.
Independent Care Advisers also know that people
often want support as well as information. A vital part of
the Independent Care Adviser's job is to help clients deal
with the emotional feelings associated with making difficult
decisions regarding care.
Some Care Advisers may not be independent. They
may be tied to a health organization or they may receive commissions
from the care agencies and care homes they recommend. To be
sure of professional and unbiased advice, it is important
to use the services of a Care Adviser who is truly independent
and does not accept commissions from care providers.
Members of the Association of Independent Care
Advisers (AICA) follow a Code of Practice, which sets out
a minimum level of professional standards.
Choosing suitable care for a loved one
can be a difficult time, but using the services of an Independent
Care Adviser will help and will inevitably assist families
in avoiding costly mistakes when choosing care.
Families
will usually have received some medical information about
their relative, but may be unsure about the care options that
exist and which option is the most appropriate. Unless the
care services are to be provided and paid for by the Local
Authority, families are left to their own devices to select
and pay for care. 
