What to do if you need extra help in your home in Hertfordshire  

Homecare, also known as domiciliary care, is where careworker(s) visit you in your home to help with daily living. It can be anything from once a week, to half an hour a day, to live-in help.  

It isn’t always easy to admit that you need help, but when you do reach that conclusion you should contact your local council’s social work team. They then have to assess your needs. If they consider that you are eligible for assistance from a needs point of view, they will then carry out a financial assessment. This will take into account any savings and income, but contrary to popular belief it will not take into account the value of your home. In Scotland the majority of over 65s receive free care so no financial assessments are carried out. 

Depending on your financial circumstances, you may need to contribute to the costs of your care. If they consider you to be eligible for care, Primary Care Trusts and local councils will pay all or part of the costs. Some councils provide their own carers and others employ approved agencies to carry out their care work.  

If you do not receive governmental funding or they do not consider your needs great enough, you can still obtain and fund care yourself by going through a local care agency, or by employing somebody directly. However, be aware that if you employ someone directly, you will need to be aware of any employer’s obligations and laws. You can also privately fund ‘top up’ care if you do not receive enough from the council.