Posted on Friday 25th February 2011
An important new service benefiting people across Staffordshire has been announced and is due to be launched in the coming months.
The reablement service will help people get back on their feet and live independently following a health crisis, supporting them in accessing essential services through health and social care on in the community.
In a first for Staffordshire the service, called 'Living Independently Staffordshire,' will offer free reablement support for up to 12 weeks for those who have been assessed as needing it
After a successful pilot in some areas of the county, a decision has been made to roll it out across the whole of Staffordshire in the near future.
The new service will focus on helping as many people as possible, assisting their rehabilitation and ensuring they get the support they need quickly and easily.
Support can range from simple help with medication and relearning how to boil a kettle, to more intensive support like regaining the ability to walk and carry out other normal daily tasks. An essential part of the service will be building personal confidence.
Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire's Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, says that Living Independently Staffordshire will help people to resume a more normal life.
"This is a major step forward for Staffordshire. Since taking office 16 months ago we've worked hard to improve support for individuals recovering from illness or injury whether leaving hospital or simply starting on the road to recovery. It's great for the individual and cost effective for public finances because it avoids more complex and costly acute or long term care.
"Short term, intensive support, provides a real opportunity for people to maintain their independence and live a more normal life in their community amongst friends or family. Evidence shows it's good all round.
"By offering this more flexible service we are giving people choice and control over the care they receive. It is also a good opportunity for our professionals on the ground to really tailor support for people as they see fit. Brenda's case shows just what can be achieved when people are given control over their care."