Care at home
Enablement at home
Support that keeps someone doing things for themselves for as long as possible, rather than quietly taking over. Available to anyone, for as long as it helps.
- Available to everyone, no referral needed
- Ongoing, not time-limited
- Registered with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission
Working in partnership with the NHS
Regulated by the Care Quality Commission. See our rating and the full inspection report.
What enablement looks like
The easiest thing for a carer to do is everything. Enablement is the harder, better option: standing back where someone can manage, and stepping in only where they cannot.
It is not a separate visit or an extra cost. It is how we would rather work whatever the support is.
Not the same as reablement
Reablement is short-term and commissioned. Enablement is the everyday version, open to anyone, with no end date. See the comparison below.
What it can involve
- Prompting and encouraging rather than doing
- Keeping hold of skills that are still there
- Building confidence back after a wobble or a fall
- Support to keep managing medication independently
- Getting out of the house and staying connected to people
- Keeping familiar routines going
- Adjusting as things change, in either direction
- Support for the family carer alongside
How we try to work
Enablement is mostly about restraint. These are the habits it depends on.
What helps
- Doing things WITH someone, not for them
- Allowing the extra few minutes it takes
- Noticing what someone can still do, and protecting it
- Asking before helping
- Reviewing the plan downwards as well as upwards
What does not
- Finishing the job because the visit is nearly over
- Adding support that was never asked for
- Treating independence as a risk to be removed
- Assuming last month's plan still fits
- Doing it the carer's way rather than theirs
How support starts
You get in touch
Call us, or ask a social worker or discharge team to. Tell us as much or as little as you like.
A free home visit
We come out to understand what is needed, at no cost and with no obligation.
Agreeing the goals
What a good week looks like, and what matters most to the person.
Support begins
We introduce the team, and the plan is reviewed as things change.
Questions families ask us
How is this different from reablement?
Reablement is short-term, goal-based and commissioned, usually after illness or a hospital stay, and it comes through a social worker or discharge team. Enablement is the same philosophy applied to everyday support: open to anyone, with no end date. See Reablement.
Does it cost more than ordinary care?
No. It is not a separate service or an add-on, it is how we would rather work. Support is priced by what is actually needed, as with everything else.
What if someone needs more help over time?
Then they get more help. Enablement is not about withholding support, it is about not taking over unnecessarily. Plans are reviewed in both directions.
Can it sit alongside personal care?
Yes, and usually does. See Personal Care.
What areas do you cover?
Plymouth, Torbay, Newton Abbot and Teignmouth, plus the surrounding towns and villages. If you are not sure whether we reach you, just ask.
What will it cost?
Support is priced by what is actually needed, so there is no single figure we can honestly put on this page. Where a council or the NHS is arranging the support, the funding routes are set out on our care costs page.
Which kind of support is this?
Personal care
Hands-on help with washing, dressing, medication and the rest of daily life.
Open to anyone. No referral needed, just ring us.
Enablement
Keeping hold of independence and building it back, for as long as it helps.
Open to anyone. Not an add-on and not time-limited.
Reablement
Short-term, goal-based support to get back on your feet after illness, a fall or hospital.
Commissioned. Arranged through a social worker or discharge team.
Could you do this work? Enablement takes patience rather than experience: standing back, and letting someone do what they still can. We are recruiting across Devon and no experience is needed to start.
Ready to talk it through?
There is no pressure and no obligation. Just an honest conversation about what would help.