A Guide to Finding a Care Home
Knowing where to start when you’re looking for a care home can be difficult. If you or a loved one are facing challenges with living independently, it may be time to consider your options and investigate finding a care home.
There is much to consider when looking to find a care home. Firstly, we suggest collating a list of all of the questions you may want to ask and have an idea of what you want to look out for within each care home, this should allow you to look consider a variety of options to weigh up the benefits of each home.
At Avery, we understand that making the decision to find a care home for a loved one can be challenging and emotional, so we hope that our guide to choosing a care home will help ease the stress of your decision and allow you to make a well-informed decision about your care home choices.
What to Look for In a Care Home
Finding a care home for your loved one shouldn’t be confusing and knowing what to look for will give you an idea of where to begin. There are some key factors to consider when finding a care home:
- Does the home currently have any vacancies? If not, it’s a good idea to find out if they have a waiting list.
- Thoroughly read through any brochures or websites, or call and speak with a home manager to get some information.
- Make sure the care home offers the care services your loved one requires or may require in the future.
- Read the care home ratings and care home reviews which should be available on the Care Quality Commission website, or directly from the home.
What Types of Care are Required
When considering care home options, one of the most important things to consider is the types of care your loved one currently requires, or you think may require in the future.
Perhaps they currently only require support with basic day-to-day tasks, such as getting dressed or washed, meaning they may only require residential care, or want to consider an independent living facility?
Alternatively, more substantial amounts of care may be necessary, such as 24/7 nursing care in order to support residents with complex health needs which can no longer be provided at home.
Seeking dementia care can be one of life’s most emotional and demanding experiences. However, if your loved one requires the additional support from a professional care provider, it’s very important to consider the dementia care options available when finding a care home.
Finally, you may be looking to find a care home in order to utilise the respite care facility. Respite care is beneficial for both the care provider and the resident, allowing the primary care giver some much needed rest, while giving the resident an opportunity to enjoy expert care and support within a welcoming care home environment.
Care Home Locations and Viewing
Another of your priorities when considering finding a care home for a loved one is the location. Many will want to find a care home near to home and the wider family. Alternatively, your family member may be aware of a care home they would be happy to move into which offers the activities, facilities and care services they require.
Searching for care home by region is a great place to start, as if gives you an overview of the care home options within your area, along with details on the types of care they provide.
Finding a care home for a loved one is not something many people enter lightly, which is why it is so important that once you have narrowed down your list of care home requirements, that you go and visit the home itself to get a first-hand feel for the environment.
Remember, you can go and view as many care homes as you like, and you can go back and look at the same care home more than once. If you find a care home you believe may be suitable, viewing the facility can give you a thorough idea of the community, support given and atmosphere within the care home.
Activities and Facilities with the Care Homes
Although the decision to find a care home can, at times, seem overwhelming and emotional, it’s important to realise that there are many benefits of care home life for residents. Staff within the care homes strive to ensure that the residents are living their later years in the best way possible, maximising independence and that they are enjoying their time.
Many care homes offer facilities such as:
- Gardening opportunities
- Library
- Hair Salon
- Therapy Suites
- Comfortable Lounges
- Activities and Games
- Well-being Programmes
- Access to Minibus facilities
- Community Outreach
- Cinema Rooms
Checking Care Home Reviews and Authority Reports
When finding a care home, many people will ask for advice and reviews from people they know, which is always a good place to start if looking for a care home locally. However, researching care home reviews and official care home ratings is also a very good idea.
The CQC (Care Quality Commission) website will provide reviews and ratings of many homes across the country. Alternatively, each care home should have links to direct care home reviews, which may aid you in making a final decision when finding a care home.
Paying for A Care Home
There are various financial options available when finding a care home for a loved one. Each will depend on your personal financial circumstance, individual care needs and personal requirements. The level of care required will be subject to assessments and may incur additional costs.
It is important to fully understand the financial implications when choosing a care home, we recommend speaking with care homes directly to gain full insight into costings, as it will depend on each individuals circumstances.
Other questions and factors to consider when choosing a care homE
There are many elements to consider when finding a care home, and ensuring it is the perfect fit for your loved one. There will be many questions you want to ask in order to make sure you are arriving at the right decision, some of the following questions may be ones you have forgotten and could be good to ask when viewing care homes.
- Can the home be reached by public transport?
- Does the home have car parking?
- What are the views and local amenities like?
- Is there wheelchair access through the home, including wide doorways etc?
- When are staff available for residents?
- Can residents choose their daily routine?
- Can pets stay in the care home?
- When can residents have visitors to the care home?
We hope that our guide to choosing a care home has been helpful, if you require any further information about the types of care available or are interested in any of the Avery care homes across the UK, please get in touch with our friendly team today.
