Welcome to Kernow Directory. Organisations supporting adults across Cornwall are continuing to add their details. If you are an organisation, please visit one of our directories and click “Add a listing.”
Our information, advice and guidance pages are co-produced with people who have lived experience and will continue to grow.
Working alongside our colleagues in the Housing department, in Adult Social Care, we aim to help you live in your own home for as long as you wish to. There are many options and possibilities in place to help you do that, including people to help you at home, and gadgets and equipment to support you and keep you safe.
You can explore these options below.
As people age, they become more likely to have a fall, at home or when they are out and about. Those falls are also more likely to cause significant damage. There are many reasons that people fall, ranging from trip hazards at home, to low blood pressure, or deteriorating eyesight. We are working to support people to prevent falls,and help them identify the possible causes. There are a number of steps that people can take to reduce falls.
Find out more on our Falls Prevention page
There is a wide range of equipment and electronic gadgets that can help them carry out tasks, help them get around, keep them safe, alert them to danger, and much more. These can be useful for many people, whether they have physical disabilities, sensory loss, learning disabilities or mental health difficulties, or are older and more frail
Find out more on our Equipment page
TEC is a special sub-category of equipment, that includes ‘gadgets’ that can be used to support you to live more independently.
Visit our Technology Enabled Care page
Home care is practical, supportive care, provided in your own home. It can include personal care and healthcare, daily living support, and support to get out and about in your local community. It can include overnight care under certain circumstances.
You can find out more on our Home Care page
Our Short Term Reablement Service (STEPs) provides short term care, for no more than six weeks, to help you if you have just got out of hospital. They can help you learn new skills, or adjust the way you do things. They will also help you regain confidence, and can assess what additional support you may need in the future. You can be referred to them by a health or social care professional.
For more information visit our Home from hospital page
Part of our Empowering Independence programme. This is a short-term programme (typically up to six months) to support people with independent living skills and self-management of their health and wellbeing. The support is provided by different organisations depending on your needs and where you live in Cornwall.
You can find out more about this support, for people with physical health needs, or disabilities, and for people with mental health and/or complex needs.
This is a package of support provided to adults aged primarily 16 - 65, in their own homes. and designed to encourage more independence. This might be with personal care tasks – like dressing, or washing. It might also include daily living support, and support to manage things by themselves like keeping their home maintained, and getting out into the local community. For some young people, it will include support to transition to adult life, such as getting into education, training or employment.
Read more on our Supported Housing page
You can get a variety of other support to help you manage at home.
Cornwall Council’s Housing department has a Home Solutions Service, which includes:
adapting your home
providing you with items such as handrails, ramps, etc
financial advice and assistance around housing matters
moving you to more suitable and appropriate
Household maintenance and repairs if you have a disability and/or are over 60
Find out more on our Home Solutions page
You can register for help with your waste and recycling collections, if you are unable to move your bins to the boundary of your property due to:
a mobility issue
a disability
a medical condition
This is called Assisted Collections.
You can find out about this on our Waste and Recycling pages
You, or the person you care for, may be able to register as a priority customer for utilities such as:
electricity
gas
telephone, including mobile
water (South West Water)
Registering with them means that they will tell you in advance of any planned works, and give special consideration to you in the event of problems with your supply. Any household with children under the age of 5, of pensionable age, or who has any kind of disability, is eligible, along with several other categories of people. See the full list on the website below. It is free to register.
Find out about the Priority Services Register (PSR)
A number of local and national organisations can provide meals to your door. Some will deliver hot meals, daily, where others will deliver frozen or shelf-stable meals in bulk.
If your existing home is not suitable for you, there are various alternatives, offering different levels of care.
For adults primarily aged 16 - 64 who have been assessed as having eligible care needs. You could live in supported housing if you have:
learning disabilities
autism
physical disabilities
mental health difficulties
sensory needs
acquired brain injury and/or memory or cognitive issues
trauma
difficulties with drugs
alcohol or self-neglect
other eligible health or social care need
In Supported Housing, people live in purpose-built flats, houses or bungalows, or rooms in a shared house. Shared houses will have two or more people who have similar support needs.
The properties are managed by a landlord, who is responsible for the building, and the tenancy agreement or licence. Each person will have a contract with the landlord for the place they are living in.
Care and support is provided by approved providers, who work together with the landlord. The Care Provider will give each person the type of support they need to achieve their individual outcomes and live as independently as possible.
Read more on our Supported Housing page
Extra Care (also known as assisted living) offers housing for people who are generally aged 55 and over. It gives you the opportunity to live in a home of your own with 24/7 on-site care and support on hand if and when you need it. People who live in Extra Care schemes have their own front door to their own self-contained apartment, that includes a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and lounge, as well as access to communal facilities. There are two Extra Care schemes in Cornwall, in Liskeard and Redruth, with more planned. You must have a connection to the local area to get a place in an Extra Care scheme.
Read more about Extra Care Housing
Supportmatch pairs older adults who need a little support at home, with younger people who can provide that. The younger person lives with the older person, and provides support and companionship. Supportmatch arranges the matches, to suit the needs of both parties, and provides telephone support and emergency assistance.
Find out more on our Supportmatch page
Moving to a care home is a big step, and needs careful consideration. We like to explore other alternatives first, that allow people to keep as much independence as possible. To find out more about care homes, how to choose the right one, and paying for care.
There are many options when we consider how to pay for social care services. Some people pay for their entire care package themselves, and others have their care paid for by Adult Social Care. Most people pay for some of their own care. To find out more, including financial assessments;