Sometimes daily life gets stuck. The post piles up, appointments are forgotten and the days lose their shape. Stress, low mood, anxiety or loneliness often play a part. Support at home can help you regain calm and overview. In this article you can read what support is, who it is for and how to apply.
What is support?
Support (begeleiding) is practical and emotional help in daily life. A regular support worker visits you at home and helps you pick things up yourself again. The aim is for you to keep living independently and stay in control.
Support is not treatment or therapy. If you have mental health symptoms that need treatment, this goes through your GP, the practice nurse or a therapist. Support can work well alongside it: the therapist works on the symptoms, the support worker helps you in daily life.
Who is support for?
- adults and older people who live at home and have lost their overview;
- people experiencing stress, anxiety, low mood or overload;
- people who feel lonely or have little contact with others;
- people who need to rebuild their life after a major event, such as losing a partner.
What does a support worker do?
- Structure in the day. Making a weekly plan together with fixed times for getting up, eating, exercise and rest.
- Overview of your affairs. Help with post, appointments and practical matters, so they no longer hang over you.
- A listening ear. A trusted person to talk to about what is on your mind.
- Contact with others. Thinking along about activities, local initiatives or family contact that give you energy.
- Coordination. Where needed and with your permission, consultation with your GP or others involved.
How do you apply for support?
Support for people living at home usually falls under the Social Support Act (Wmo). You apply through your municipality.
- Report to the municipality. By phone, online or through the neighbourhood team.
- The conversation. An advisor discusses with you what is going on, what you can do yourself and what the people around you can do. You may bring someone with you.
- Decision. The municipality decides whether you receive support and how much. For Wmo support you usually pay a personal contribution through the CAK.
- Choice of provider. You receive care in kind from a provider, or in some cases you choose a pgb.
If someone permanently needs intensive care, support can also fall under the Wlz. If you do not want to wait for a decision, private support is an option.
Tips to get started yourself
- Start the day at a fixed time, also at weekends.
- Choose one small task each day and finish it.
- Go outside every day, even if it is just a walk around the block.
- Talk to one trusted person about how you are really doing.
- Do the symptoms persist or get worse? Make an appointment with your GP.
Support from RytelZorg
RytelZorg provides guidance and mental support at home in Voorburg, Leidschendam, Wassenaar and The Hague. You have a regular support worker in a safe, confidential setting. Where needed, we coordinate with your GP. We also help you free of charge with your application to the municipality.
Read more about guidance and mental support, contact us or call 06 14 97 58 70.