When you are looking for help for someone in your life, or for yourself, there are always plenty of options to consider. It’s of course entirely up to you what kind you opt for. But where there is a need for the individual in question to have both a degree of support, and also a good amount of genuine independence, there is one kind of care that is especially valuable. We’re talking of course about supported independent living (SIL), a kind of hybrid support that actively encourages the ongoing independence of the individual.
If you’re thinking about using the services of an SIL provider in Western Australia, be sure not to rush into making your decision about which one to go for. After all, you need to first know what to expect from SIL providers. Here we are going to look closely at the kind of comprehensive support you would hope for from such providers, and what that should actually look like.
Accessible Environment
It might go without saying, but you should expect any SIL provider in Western Australia to have a fully accessible environment. After all, it is vital that everyone is able to get around without impediment, because that is a major element of being able to live independently – and that in itself is an essential aspect of the SIL approach. So this is one thing you should check if you are choosing between different providers.
The entire environment should be easily accessible for all, which often requires that the housing environment is well designed. You can get a sense of this usually if you go on a tour, so that is one reason among many that it’s always a good idea to take a tour if you are able to.
If the environment is not fully accessible, you’ll really want to start looking elsewhere.
Social Opportunities
Although it’s not the first thing that many people think of when they are looking at and comparing different SIL providers in Western Australia, in truth it is best if there are plenty of social opportunities available for the people living within a particular SIL area. After all, having the chance to socialise is another central aspect to living fully and independently, so it’s something that you are certainly going to need to think about if you want to make sure that you are choosing the right option here.
There are certain factors that should highlight that an SIL provider is offering a lot of opportunity for socialising. For one, the layout should allow for plenty of social areas as well as private ones. And hopefully there will be a number of events that are designed to bring people together too. These are really important elements in any SIL provider and something you should certainly be looking out for.
Assistance With Daily Living
One of the more essential qualities that you would hope for an SIL provider in Western Australia to have is a tendency to assist with daily living. This is after all one half of the overall SIL approach, so it’s something that you are going to hope would be as strong as possible. Of course, the nature of it is that this level of assistance will vary from individual to individual, but nonetheless the fact that it is there is what is important here.
So look out for this as it is a major thing that you would hope to be able to expect from any SIL provider. As long as there is this assistance with daily living factors, that is obviously a good sign for the SIL in question.
Help With Health & Wellbeing
There should also be a general ability and keenness to help with the health and overall wellbeing of the individual in care. This can be attended to and can manifest in many different ways. It might be that there is help with medication, and with exercise and diet – while also allowing for independence in all this, of course. Or it could be more in terms of actual medical care, as required.
In any case, you’ll want to make sure that any SIL provider in Western Australia is offering this, as another absolutely vital part of the whole.
Kindness & Compassion
It’s not only about what is being offered, however, but also how it is being offered. And you would generally hope for any decent SIL provider to offer a lot of kindness and compassion with the service they are giving. This is something that you are going to have to get a feel for, because it is not necessarily always clear whether or not it’s in place – it is more of a feeling that you might get from the provider. But you can tell by how residents are dealt with whether or not this compassion is really there.
As long as there is a lot of kindness and compassion, it’s going to be a much better experience for everyone, and you’ll find that you are getting what you hope for. So again this is something that should not be overlooked if possible.
A Personalised Support Plan
Good SIL providers know that each individual is their own person – with their own specific needs, and individual abilities to be independent and so on. This is why each person needs to have their own personalised support plan. This is something that you would expect the SIL provider to be doing as a basic part of the service they provide. It’s the opposite of a one-size-fits-all approach, and it’s something that is going to ensure that each individual is cared for exactly as they need to be.
So be sure that this is the approach taken if you are looking for help from an SIL provider in Western Australia.
If you can find these things in an SIL provider, it’s a good sign, and you can be sure that the level of care is going to be of a consistently high quality. This is good news for all involved.