Why are vehicle checks important in the healthcare industry?
24 February 2026
Requiring support within your home doesn’t mean you need to lose your independence. Having that freedom of choice can be more important than ever when you feel like other aspects of your life are out of your control. A person-centred approach enables a client to still live the way they choose while mitigating some of the risks associated with illness or a decline in mobility.
When you have care visits in place you will be informed of when your team will visit you. As much as possible, the tasks required in this time will have been agreed with you beforehand.
While routines can be useful, they may also become boring after a while. Having the freedom to choose how your care pans out each day can prevent that stale feeling.
Consider the tasks you would like to see achieved during your time:
Where possible, you could choose to adjust these.
Some days you could choose to have your shower during the morning visit. Others, you might opt for the evening. Let yourself make those choices based on what best suits you.
It is crucial to remember that certain aspects of care may not allow for full autonomy. Some medication may require food to be taken prior to administration. Therefore, our Healthcare Assistants must follow this instruction. Should you decide you do not want food, we would be unable to administer that medication.
We will encourage you to make choices that keep your best interests at the forefront of all activities but, should you decide not to follow them, we will respect your freedom of choice and the incident will be documented.
You may feel like your choices are necessities, rather than actual options you selected. However, it is important to remember that, even when the options are less than favourable, you still have a choice in the matter.
As part of your initial assessment, we will investigate what is most important to you. Think about:
Within each, you will have choices to make. For example, if your GP has advised weight loss, you may want to consider choosing to have assisted walks included within your tasks. You may not like going for walks, but you can make the choice to better your health.
We can suggest ways to protect your best interests and align with what is important to you, while still protecting your freedom of choice.
Nutrition is vital for wellbeing, and many of us derive pleasure from meals, especially when we have great company and our favourite foods.
Freedom of choice with meals can help to ensure people get the correct nutrients, as well as to help avoid dehydration. That choice can make people more inclined to eat, especially when pain or illness can affect one’s appetite.
Think back to when you were a child, or even raised children yourself. They may be more inclined to eat certain foods (i.e. their vegetables!) if they felt they had a choice in the matter.
The secret is to choose options that will promote good health. If you offer a child an apple versus crisps, it’s likely the child will pick the crisps. Instead, you might offer an apple versus an orange. This allows the child that freedom of choice within the parameters you set.
The same can be achieved with your care. Your Healthcare Assistant may offer you a choice of meals that meet your dietary and health needs.
In particular, this can work best for Junior Clients. They get to have some control over their day within the parameters that those with parental responsibility have set.
Requiring care support doesn’t mean you should lose your identity. One of the great benefits of opting for domiciliary care is that you can still continue to lead your life your way.
Part of your care plan can involve choosing activities. We are happy to assist with:
If there is a hobby that’s important to you, we endeavor to give you the freedom of choice to keep doing it, so long as it doesn’t impede on your overall wellbeing and can be achieved in your visit time.
It may seem obvious that those who have mental capacity should be given freedom of choice, but what about clients who don’t?
This can be particularly difficult to consider in regard to clients who are non-verbal or have more complex needs.
The answer is actually quite simple: give as much freedom of choice as you can while ensuring their overall health and wellbeing.
A client who does not have mental capacity may still be able to choose between food items, or even toys or activities. Giving them that sense of choice and autonomy can make a big difference to not only their care but also their overall happiness.
It is also important to remember that mental capacity may not be rigid. Someone who once had that capacity may no longer be able to make choices for themselves. Alternatively, someone who did not have mental capacity for a period may have recovered sufficiently to be able to make their own decisions again. This is why regular reviews are so crucial.
If you want care that prioritises freedom of choice for yourself or your loved one, contact Absolute today.
One of our dedicated Care Co-ordinators will conduct a thorough assessment of your needs, home, and goals to create a care plan tailored to you. We encourage you to voice your opinions and choices both during that initial period and throughout your care.
Verity joined Absolute in February, 2025, as our HR & Recruitment Administrator.
With a background in HR, customer service, and marketing, she has taken the lead on crafting digital content.
Outside of work, Verity enjoys woodland walks, cooking, and video games.
