Reablement Service

What is Reablement?

Reablement is a short term assessment and support service, lasting six weeks or less and is provided to people in their own home. The Reablement Service will help you to do things for yourself rather than relying on others.

What will the Reablement Service do for me?

The Reablement Service is made up of a Team including Reablement Occupational Therapists, Reablement Coordinators, Reablement Team Leaders and Reablement Support Workers. You will receive a visit from the Reablement Occupational Therapist who will carry out an assessment of your needs.

This assessment will look at your daily living activities such as:

personal care (washing, showering/bathing);
getting dressed and undressed;
getting into and out of bed or a chair;
toileting and promoting continence;
taking your medication;
meal preparation;
moving around your home;
social activities, such as luncheon clubs.

The assessment will identify what you can and cannot do for yourself. From this the Reablement Occupational Therapist will agree a plan with you.

The agreed plan, listing the goals identified, will be shared with the Reablement Coordinator who will draw up a personalised care plan to meet your identified needs. The Reablement Coordinator will oversee your care provision and will arrange for a Reablement Support Worker/Team Leader to call with you at the identified times. A Service User Record Book will be placed in your home for Reablement Support Workers to record your progress.

The Reablement Support Worker/Team Leaders will attend you in your home and will work with you to help and encourage you to practise the daily living activities identified. This will help you regain skills and confidence that you may have lost, to enable you to live as independently as possible. As you improve the length and frequency of the visits will be reviewed and reduced by the Reablement Occupational Therapist.

Click her to find out ‘How Reablement Works‘

Who can use the Reablement Service?

You can use the Reablement Service if you are over 18 and:

requiring a support package (such as a Domiciliary Care Package) or
need an increase in your existing support package to help you with your daily living activities: and
if you have experienced a crisis, such as illness, deterioration in health or sustained an injury.

How do I get the Reablement Service?

Should you feel you would benefit from the Reablement Service and you meet the above criteria you should contact your local Social Services Office or speak to a Health and Social Care professional if you are an inpatient in hospital.

What happens when Reablement finishes?

Many people can live independently in their own homes after Reablement without the need for social care support. However, if you still have ongoing needs, you will be referred by the Health and Social Care Worker dealing with you, to other services.

Out of Hours

The Homecare/Reablement Department has a dedicated Out of Hours system which is staffed by Homecare Managers.

The Out of Hours Service operates from:

5.00pm to 9.00am Monday to Friday
Weekends – 9.00am Saturday to 9.00am Monday
Bank Holidays: 24 hours

Further information:

Health and Social Care Board – Reablement

Homecare Service User Guide

Reablement Definition

Download and Print the Reablement Definition Document

Regional Reablement Service

DEFINITION:

Reablement is a person-centred approach which is about promoting and maximising independence to allow people to remain in their own home as long as possible. It is designed to enable people to gain or regain their confidence, ability, and necessary skills to live independently, especially after having experienced a health or social care crisis, such as illness, a deterioration in health or injury.

The aim of Reablement is to help people perform their necessary daily living skills such as personal care, walking, and preparing meals, so that they can remain independent within their own home.

“Reablement will help you to do things for yourself rather than having to
rely on others”.

Frequently Asked Questions

Print and Download the Frequently Asked Questions Document

Regional Reablement Service for Northern Ireland Frequently Asked Questions

What is Reablement?	Reablement is a short-term assessment and support service, lasting six weeks or less which helps you to do things for yourself rather than relying on others, such as washing and getting dressed. This will take place in your own home setting
What will the Reablement Service do for me?	The Reablement Service is made up of a Team including: Reablement Occupational Therapists and Reablement Support Workers who will support you to become independent in daily living activities such as: personal care (washing, showering/ bathing); getting dressed and undressed; getting into and out of bed or chair; toileting and promoting continence; taking your medication; meal preparation; moving around your home; social activities, such as luncheon clubs.
Who can use the Reablement Service?	If you are 65+ and requiring a support package (ie a Domiciliary Care Package) or need an increase in your existing support package to help you with your daily living activities; and if you have experienced a crisis, such as illness, deterioration in health or sustained an injury.
How do I get the Reablement Service?	You must be referred to the Reablement Service by a Health and Social Care Worker (eg General Practitioner, Nurse, Social Worker) either on discharge from hospital or from your local Health and Social Care office.
What will happen when I am referred to the Reablement Service?	You will receive a visit from the Reablement Occupational Therapist who will carry out an assessment of your needs. This assessment will look at your daily living activities and will identify what you can and cannot do for yourself. From this a plan will be agreed with you. The Reablement Support Workers will then work with you to practice these daily living activities to help you regain independence and confidence. As you improve the length and frequency of the visits will be reviewed and reduced by the Reablement Occupational Therapist.
What is the difference between the Reablement Service and the Domiciliary Care Service/traditional Home Care?	The Reablement Service will help you regain or improve your daily living activities, support your independence and encourage you ‘to do things for yourself rather than having to rely on others’. It is a planned and time-limited service lasting six weeks or less depending on your individual circumstances. The Domiciliary Care Service/traditional Home Care may be a longer term service than the Reablement Service. It provides ongoing support if you cannot live independently and if you need assistance with daily living activities. This service will be reviewed and reassessed and will continue for as long as you require it
What is the difference between the Reablement Service and the Rehabilitation Service?	With support from the Reablement Occupational Therapist and/or Reablement Support Worker the Reablement Service will work with you to: learn or re-learn your daily living activities; help you regain skills and confidence you have lost, to enable you to live as independently as possible at home. Within the Rehabilitation Service the person may have a greater level of dependency and therefore require the support from additional services such as Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy.
What happens when Reablement finishes?	Many people can live in their own homes independently after Reablement. However, if you still have ongoing need you will be referred, by the Health and Social Care Worker dealing with you, to other services.

Regional Review of Reablement Outcome of the Retrospective Longitudinal Audit

Download and Print the Regional Review of Reablement Outcome of the Retrospective Longitudinal Audit
Briefing and Position Paper: Regional Reablement Service for Northern Ireland
Download and Print the Briefing and Position Paper: Regional Reablement Service for Northern Ireland

Regional Reablement Service for Northern Ireland Briefing/Position Paper:

A Review of Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (2011) recommended that the Health and Social Care Board introduce a Reablement Model of Care across Northern Ireland from 2012. In light of this the Health and Social Care Board in its Joint Commissioning Plan back in 2011/12 committed to:

“Introducing a Reablement Model which would enhance self-management, increase the capacity of the voluntary and community sector and promote healthy ageing; reducing the number of people who require support on a long-term basis.”

Introduction of a Reablement service across the region has underpinned
several of the key proposals within Transforming Your Care, including:
- Ensuring home is the hub of care for older people, with more services being provided at home and in the community.
- Encouraging independence and helping to avoid unnecessary admissions of older people into hospital.
From 2012 each Health and Social Care Trust has taken steps to establish, implement and roll-out the Reablement service, the purpose of which is to provide older people with intensive and time limited support with daily living tasks with the aim of enabling the individual to do the task as independently as possible at the end of the process. In other words the Reablement ethos is considered to be a person-centred approach which is about promoting and maximising independence to allow people to remain in their own home as long as possible. This is further defined in the Regional Definition for Reablement:

Regional Definition for Reablement

Reablement is a person-centred approach which is about promoting and maximising
independence to allow people to remain in their own home as long as possible. It is
designed to enable people to gain or regain their confidence, ability, and necessary
skills to live independently, especially after having experienced a health or social care
crisis, such as illness, deterioration in health or injury.

The aim of Reablement is to help people perform their necessary daily living skills
such as personal care, walking, and preparing meals, so that they can remain
independent within their own home.

“Reablement will help you to do things for yourself rather than having to rely on others”.

Scope

The Reablement service is a community-based service which will be accessible and available across Northern Ireland, in the first instance within the Older People’s programme of care (65+) with an expectation that through time it would be phased into other adult services. It will be specifically targeted at those 65+ and who are:
- on the threshold of requiring a Domiciliary Care package or where an increase in an existing care package has been requested.
- experiencing a health or social care crisis, such as illness, deterioration in health or injury that affects their daily living activities.
Service Delivery
A Reablement service is a planned, intensive and time-limited service lasting 6 weeks or less designed to maximise the Service User’s independence. A Reablement Occupational Therapist carries out a functional assessment of the Service User’s daily living activities which will identify the areas for improvement . The Reablement Occupational Therapist and the Service User will jointly agree the goals required to
move toward independence and these will be reflected in the Regional Maximising Independence Plan which will be used to chart the Service User’s progress.

The Reablement service will operate 7 days per week with the frequency and duration of visits determined at the initial assessment. However as the Service User progresses towards achieving their independence the length and the frequency of the visits will be reviewed and reduced by the Reablement Occupational Therapist in accordance with changing needs.

Reablement support will be delivered by specifically trained Reablement Support Workers who will enable the Service User to regain their independence in areas such as:
- personal care;
- transfers (eg in and out of bed, chair);
- medicine management;
- meal preparation;
- improving quality of life through social interaction.
At the end of the Reablement service, many Service Users will be able to live independently in their own homes. However, if at the end of Reablement the Service User has ongoing needs, these will be discussed with the Service User, and appropriate support to meet their assessed need will be provided.

Partnership Working with the Community and Voluntary Sector

Once a person is discharged from Reablement it is important to maintain their social, emotional, physical and psychological independence. In order to achieve this Health and Social Care organisations along with the Community and Voluntary sector and other statutory organisations will be required to work together to identify existing services within localities to promote healthy ageing and wellbeing. Where gaps exist further work will be required to meet the needs of Service Users.

Performance Management and Benefits Realisation

The principal benefit of Reablement is that, if successful, it can:
- reduce hospital admissions;
- support timely hospital discharge;
- increase the Service User’s choice and autonomy;
- reduce reliance on family;
- delay the need to commence domiciliary care;
- delay the need for an increase to an existing domiciliary care package; and
- reduce admission to residential and nursing homes.
To monitor the impact of Reablement the Health and Social Care Board and Trusts have developed a minimum dataset to monitor Reablement outcomes by taking into account a range of key areas including:
- the numbers of Service Users entering Reablement;
- length of stay;
- Service User outcomes ie those requiring no ongoing care
  package, reduced, same or increase in existing package;
- numbers of Service Users entering residential and nursing home care
Regional Reablement Model for Northern Ireland

Download and Print the Regional Reablement Model for Northern Ireland
Reablement Leaflet
Download and Print the Reablement Leaflet

Reablement Service

“Reablement will help you to do things for yourself rather than having to rely on others”

What is Reablement?

Reablement is a short term assessment and support service, lasting six weeks or less, which helps you to do things for yourself rather than relying on others. This will take
place in your own home-setting.

What will the Reablement Service do for me?

The Reablement Service is made up of a Team including; Reablement Occupational Therapists and Reablement Support Workers who will support you to become more
independent in daily living activities such as:
- personal care (washing, showering/ bathing);
- getting dressed and undressed;
- getting into and out of bed or a chair;
- toileting and promoting continence;
- taking your medication;
- meal preparation;
- moving around your home;
- social activities, such as luncheon clubs.
Who can use the Reablement Service?

You can use the Reablement Service if you are over 65+ years and:
- requiring a support package (such as a Domiciliary Care Package); or
- need an increase in your existing support package to help you with your daily living activities; and
- if you have experienced a crisis, such as illness, deterioration in health or sustained an injury.
How do I get the Reablement Service?

You can be referred to the Reablement Service by a Health and Social Care Worker, for example, your General Practitioner (GP), Nurse, Social Worker either on discharge from hospital or from your local Health and Social Care Office.

What will happen when I am referred to the Reablement Service?

You will receive a visit from the Reablement Occupational Therapist who will carry out an assessment of your needs. This assessment will look at your daily living activities and will identify what you can and cannot do for yourself. From this a plan will be agreed with you.

The Reablement Support Workers will then work with you to help and encourage you to practice these daily living activities. This will help you regain skills and confidence that you may have lost, to enable you to live as independently as possible.

As you improve the length and frequency of the visits will be reviewed and reduced
by the Reablement Occupational Therapist.

What happens Reablement finishes?

Many people can live independently in their own homes after Reablement without the need for social care support.

However, if you still have ongoing needs, you will be referred by the Health and
Social Care Worker dealing with you, to other services

Contact Details

Western Health and Social Care Trust Reablement Teams are as follows:

Northern Sector

Londonderrry/Limavady, Spruce Villa, Gransha Park Clooney Road, Londonderry, BT47 6TF.

Tel: (028) 7186 4385

E-mail:
Southern Sector, Omagh Area

Holly Villa, Tyrone & Fermanagh Hospital, 1 Donaghanie Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT79 0NS.

Tel: (028) 8283 5906

E-mail: omagh.reablement@westerntrust.hscni.net

Southern Sector, Enniskillen Area

New Hope Centre, Erne Road, Enniskillen, Fermanagh, BT74 6NN.

Tel: (028) 6634 2402

E-mail: fermanagh.reablement@westerntrust.hscni.net

This leaflet can be made available in alternative formats if required. Should you have any comments or feedback in relation to the Reablement Service do not hesitate to contact your local office. (see details above)