Are you looking to move into a supported living service, or wondering if supported living may be the next step for you?
In this blog, we look at supported living services, answering some of the most common questions such as “what is supported living?”, and exploring topics such as how supported living works, and if a supported living service is right for you.
Supported living services provide support to individuals who may need a bit of extra help with their everyday needs.
There are different types of supported living services, including residential services, or outreach support where you live in your own home and a team of Support Workers come to your home to provide care and support. Here at Northern Healthcare, we offer both residential and community support.
The level of support can also vary between services. Some services may offer personal care, and some may only offer support with day to day tasks such as shopping, cooking, and cleaning.
One of the main questions you may have when it comes to looking into supported living services is, how does supported living work?
Well, in supported living accommodations, residents will generally have a tenancy agreement with the local housing provider. Individuals who require support can live in shared accommodation, self-contained flats or houses depending on their support needs.
Depending on personal circumstances, the cost of rent could be self-funded, or covered by housing benefits. The cost of care can also be self-funded; however it is commonly funded through the local authorities.
Many supported living providers will work with individuals to encourage independence in various aspects of life. This can include, amongst other things, managing their own finances (including bills) with support if required, support with medication, cooking, cleaning, money management, employment skills such as CV building or finding voluntary work placements, support for social and leisure activities, and support with building and maintaining relationships within the community.
Support may also include personal care such as help with getting out of and in to bed, washing and bathing, dressing, and assistance with household tasks such as cleaning, laundry, and cooking.
If you are still unsure about whether or not a supported living service is the right next step for you, check out our FAQ page which covers some of the most commonly asked questions about making the transition to supported living.
Here at Northern Healthcare, we are a 24/7 residential supported living provider for individuals with a mental health diagnosis, learning disability, brain injury or autism. We support our residents to learn or relearn the skills needed to live as independently as possible.
For a look into what life is like at a residential supported living service, take a look at some of the activities our residents get up to at each of our services here!
For a deeper insight into life at a supported living service, listen to one of our residents share his story at our Holland House service…
If you have decided that supported living is the right next step for you, you may have mixed feelings about the moving process and the transition from your current residence to a supported living service.
Whether you’re feeling nervous or excited, worried or prepared, the team will always be available to support you throughout the process. The team will work with you to create a plan to help you feel as comfortable as possible throughout the process.
If you’re feeling anxious, the supported living service will support you with a phased transition period, allowing you to move in at your own pace. This may start with day visits, progressing onto a couple of overnight stays, until you feel ready to move in. Alternatively, if you feel ready, you can move in straight away.
If you feel that a supported living service is the right next step for you, it is important to find a service that is able to meet and support your needs.
Your social worker or care coordinator can help with this – they will arrange for you to have a needs assessment to identify the areas where you may need some additional support, and then they will help you to choose a service that will provide the best support possible for your needs.
At Northern Healthcare, our teams provide bespoke 24/7 mental health support. If you are interested in our services and would like to know more, you can contact us here.
If you would like to make an enquiry about one of our services, we require a clinical referral from a healthcare professional. Please speak with your social worker or care coordinator to discuss making a referral. All the information for referrers is available here.
Photo by Ryan Christodoulou on Unsplash.
