Choosing a Care Home

Today, there are residential care homes available for people of all ages and for a range of disabilities but in this article, we'll be looking at elderly care homes. Choosing the most suitable home for you or for somone that you're looking after can be quite a complicated decision.

If you're a carer, the first thing you'll want to do in most cases is to get an assessment from social services for the person that you look after. This will settle whether or not they should need residential care and can suggest other available options. Social services can give you and the person you look after information about care homes and might even be able to assist you in finding a suitable one.

It's still worth getting in contact with social services, even if the person you are looking after is unlikely to be eligible for any financial help with care or nursing home fees. The assessment they give you can be really helpful when it comes to making decisions about care, plus it can be a valuable source for further information.

There are individual factors you should take into account when choosing a care home. Everyone has different needs, so consider what you or the person that you're caring for will require:

• Where is the home located? Is it close to family and friends? Are there local shops and things to do? This will vary from person to person, but being close to family and having a stimulating local environment are always good things to have.


• Is the retirement home you're looking at focused on individual needs, providing them as needed or will residents be expected to adapt to a particular regime?


• What arrangements are there for visitors? Can residents come and go as they please? Depending on your personal circumstances, this could be a very big factor.


• What is the support within the home like? How will you be able to communicate with staff and are there any support groups or regular meetings?

There are of course many more issues to consider but these give an outline of where to start. Another thing to consider is inspection reports - if there is a particular home you have been considering, check the most recent inspection report to see how well the home is performing and if there is anything of concern. All care homes for adults are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Along with the information you can get from social services, there are various other ways to find out about care homes and residential nursing that would be suitable for you or the person you look after.

You can contact a voluntary organisation, like Counsel and Care or Age UK. There are other organisations you can contact if you or the person you're caring for has a specific need, such as Mencap for people with a learning disability or Mind who specialise in mental health.