As you leave hospital (Shared Lives Home from Hospital)
Shared Lives: Home from Hospital
If it’s time for you to leave hospital, but you don’t quite feel ready to go back to your own home, our Shared Lives Home from Hospital service could support you.
What is Shared Lives Home from Hospital?
Shared Lives can support you to feel safe and well while you get back on your feet, or while you decide if you’d like some support for a bit longer. One of our friendly carers will welcome you into their home for up to six weeks (depending on how much support you need). While you’re staying with them, they’ll support you to get your independence back so that you can go back home. They can also support you to figure out the best option if you’re not feeling ready yet.
We offer our service in England (Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Manchester and the Midlands) and North Wales.
As much or as little support as you need
Your carer will support you with the things that you want and need – for example:
- washing-up;
- getting into bed;
- cooking;
- cleaning;
- taking your medicines;
- doing your shopping; or
- getting out and about to see family and friends.
You’ll be able to do all the things you usually do at home, but you can relax knowing someone is there to support you if you need it. Coming out of hospital can feel a little daunting at first. Your carer will be there for you if you need someone to talk to about how you’re feeling. They’ll try to support you to feel relaxed and at ease during your stay, and support you to feel happier and more confident about going back to live in your own home.
Choosing your carer
You can choose your own Shared Lives carer. We’ll show you who is available, tell you a bit about who they are, what they enjoy doing and where they live, and you can see which person you’d like to stay with.
Staying in touch with hospital
During your stay, your carer will support you to stay in touch with hospital and with anyone else who is supporting you, like other organisations. They’ll make sure you have a way to contact them whenever you need to and that you have all the information you need – for example, information about any medicines you need to take, or any specific support needs that you have.
Supporting you to settle back into your home
When you’re ready, your carer will support you to get back into the swing of life in your own house. During your stay with your carer, you’ll go and visit your house together. Your carer will support you to make sure your house is ready for you to live in again, by supporting you to check things like whether anything in your house needs fixing, or if you have gas and electricity. They’ll support you sort out your bills and any post you might have, and, when the time comes for you to move back into your house, they’ll make sure you’ve got things like bread and milk in the house waiting for you.
Showing you the way…
When your stay with your Shared Lives carer comes to an end, they’ll do their best to make sure you feel supported in your own house. Your carer can arrange getting you some more support for a longer period of time and show you who can support you in the area you live in. Around six weeks after you’ve moved back home, you’ll have a visit from one of the PSS Shared Lives team. They’ll ask you how you’re getting on and make sure you’ve got all the support you need.
Get in touch
If you’d like more information about this service or you’d like to use it, please contact one of the services in your area via our contact us page.