Home Care Home Care is the generic service that we provide where our caregivers visit the patient in their homes, make sure that they are comfortable, bathe (or assist) them, prepare simple foods, do basic house cleaning, provide basic massages, administer medication, record blood pressure, heart rate and temperature, and provide companionship services. Companion Services Our companionship programme is literally to be there as the best company and friendship your loved ones could want. Our carers are specially chosen for their loving and caring ways. Many older folk living at home experience terrible loneliness and our carers are there to fill the need of the human spirit to connect with others. This is especially true after the passing of a spouse. Examples of activities on this programme are Transportation | Reading | Playing Games | Walking | Letter Writing | Monitoring of the Home and more. Personal Care This is the care that patient’s unable to look after themselves required. It includes bathing, feeding, teeth cleaning, hair trimming, nail clipping, nappy changing, bed making – literally everything that people require to remain clean, fresh, comfortable and happy. Golden Care Golden Care applies to older folk in their golden years. Many of these are capable of self-mobility, they are lucid, can communicate well and enjoy a sense of humour, play games, love to recount stories and even love to go shopping or to the hairdresser etc. Our carers are there to make this whole life requirement real and friendly and enjoyable. 24/7 Live-In Care Our caregivers literally live with the patient in their home when they get to the stage where they need someone to be there around the clock. Sometimes this is temporary (e.g. when children go on holiday) and sometimes permanent (e.g. when children are living or working overseas). The caregiver and patient often become good friends, the patient always feels safe and both patient and carer enjoy each other’s company. The carers have their own transport and are on duty 24 hours out of 24. Respite Care Many older citizens that have just had operations require specialised care at home after they have been discharged from hospital. This includes getting into and out of bed, getting to the toilet, bathing and doing simple personal chores that are suddenly very difficult. Our caregivers are specially trained in respite care to help post-operative recuperation. Sleep Over Care We provide caregivers that can spend one or more nights caring for patients while the regular carers are away on leave or on holiday. Our carers will arrange to meet the residents of the house (usually children) to make sure that they have a full and proper handover for keys, security, pet feeding and of course the special needs of the patient. Wound Care As people get older, their blood circulation worsens, skin gets thinner and healing of wounds (cuts, scratches, abrasions, scars etc) takes a lot longer to heal. Marula provides specialised wound care sisters who will work with the patient’s doctor to make sure that the right medication and dressing regime is followed for a full and speedy recovery. Hygiene Services We provide a hygiene service where our carers will clean bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms, airing rooms and freshening the air. Many older folk tend to ignore basic hygiene so we make sure that these basics are done and that their living spaces are fresh and clean and free from germs. Appointments & Shopping Our carers will make any appointments for patients, including doctors, specialists, podiatrists and appointments with the hairdresser. Carers with cars will take the patient to the appointment, make sure it all goes according to plan and then return them back to home safely. They will even take them shopping and remain with them while they shop. Medication Reminders Marula provides a medication reminder service where we call patients to remind them to take their meds. This requires that the patients have a mobile phone that is always turned on. If we are unable to reach the patient, depending on the severity and importance of the medication, we will visit the patient to ensure that the meds are taken. Reading Services Many older folk love to read but sometimes eyesight degenerates to the point where they can no longer enjoy their favourite authors or magazines. We have carers that love to read aloud and this is an essential service that we provide to our patients. For the more technically advanced, we can arrange audiobooks to be read by a mobile device which is also an excellent way for the patient to hear the book. In most caring, the caregiver will spend a portion of her day reading to the patient, even if this is not required as a specific service. Meal Preparation All of our carers are trained to prepare basic meals for patients. Most elderly folk requiring care don’t eat much but they need basic, nutritious meals. The caregiver will make sure there is food in the house, will prepare the food, serve it and wash up afterwards. In most general assignments, the carer will prepare all meals for the patient as part of her duties. Pharmacy & Script Management Marula caregivers will make sure that scripts (once off and repeat) are ordered from the pharmacy and either collected by themselves or delivered by the pharmacy. Some pharmacies prepare medication cards where the tablets are clustered and vacuum packed by day and time of day to make it very simple for the caregiver to give the right meds on the right day at the right time to the patient. Caregivers are trained to read scripts and to diarise when they are due to be repeated. Doctors on Call When a caregiver senses that a patient is in need of a doctor, she will immediately contact the doctor to make a house call. If that is not possible the caregiver will make an appointment with the doctor and will take the patient to the doctor. Hospital Calls Marula caregivers will take any patient to the nearest hospital in the event of any severe injury or life- threatening change of medical condition. All medical aid details are readily available to our caregivers so that no delays or administrative issues are encountered that would otherwise threaten the life of the patient. Caregivers will remain with the patient at all times necessary when checking a patient into the hospital, will make regular visits to the hospital, will stay in touch with the patient and the hospital and will collect the patient from the hospital when discharged. Dementia & Alzheimers Dementia, especially Alzheimer’s, can be devastating for a patient and ultimately the family. Our specially trained carers have incredible patience and know how to manage demential patients and how to make sure the environment is safe for them. Everything is done in the patient’s time with lots of interaction that encourages the patient to think and engage. Instructions and requests are always simple and allow the patient to progress from task to task. Our carers are trained to make the home safe by eliminating items that can cause tripping, moving electrical cords, making sure water is not to hot in the geyser and by locking exits that can result in the patient walking out of safety. We also help the family to understand the impact of dementia and how to manage their frustrations and to become more tolerant of their older loved ones.