A Starting Point

If you need residential or nursing care, it is advisable to first think carefully about your requirements and what you can afford. If you can pay your fees yourself to begin with but cannot be sure how long your money will last, it is sensible to get your local social services to carry out an assessment of your needs first. This is important because if you need help with the fees later on, the local authority can do so only if it has assessed you, or your relative, as needing residential or nursing care. Although you may be able to get reassessed, it is better to get it done sooner rather than later. And by contacting the local authority in good time before you move, you can get an idea of how much financial help you could get which could affect your choice of care home.

Those First Steps

Moving into a residential care or nursing home needn’t be stressful if you follow our suggestions described here. When making initial contact, most care homes have brochures which give details about the facilities, number of rooms and scale of fees, as well as outlining the home’s aims and objectives. Ask if there is a waiting list and how long the average waiting time is. Some offer a trial stay of a month or so.

 But it is advisable not to rely on brochures alone – ask to visit the home and see if the residents seem happy and well cared for. Talk to the person in charge, staff and residents and, if possible, residents’ relatives for their views on the home.

 A Care Home Checklist

When you visit a home it might be helpful to have the following suggested checklist. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and is provided for general guidance purposes only. You are advised to seek professional help where appropriate.

 Location

• See if the home is convenient for shops, amenities and transport.

 Accommodation details and fees

• Find out what the home offers
• Make sure you are clear about the fees and what they include/exclude
• Find out whether you get a care plan giving details of the sort of care you will receive
• Find out how much input the resident/relative will have in putting a care plan together and later on in modifying it as care needs change
• Ask about extra charges for example, care if you fall ill, chiropody, physiotherapy, incontinence pads or sheets, and toiletries
• Find out which GPs attend the home and whether you can keep your own GP
• Check what arrangements are if you go into hospital or on holiday
• Also check what happens if a resident dies and what arrangements are made for funerals

 Organisation of the Home

• What is the atmosphere in the home
• Find out if you can get up and go to bed, and have a bath or shower, when you want
• Find out also how flexible the home is about menus and mealtimes
• Ask to see a sample menu
• Ask if they cater for the individual’s dietary needs
• Check on visitor arrangements
• If one is unhappy about some aspect of the service, ask about the complaints procedure
• Ask to see a copy of the latest inspection report as carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

 The Building

• Look around the buildings and grounds and see if they are well maintained and cared for
• Inside, make sure the home looks and smells clean
• See if there is good access for wheelchairs etc., look for difficult steps and check whether there’s a lift
• A garden or area for sitting outside is important, make sure it is easy to get access to

 Staff

• Ask about staffing levels
• How many staff there are on duty during the day and night
• Find out whether staff are trained to deal with particular conditions, dementia for example
• See how staff treat residents, and if they are pleasant and respectful

 Residents’ Rooms

• Check how much privacy you will have. If you have to share a room, find out whether you have a say about who you share with
• If there are commodes in shared rooms make sure there are screens or curtains around them providing privacy
• Ask about emergency arrangements – see if each room has an alarm within easy reach
• Some homes give you more freedom than others. Ask how much of your own furniture and possessions you can bring with you and whether the room can be decorated to personal taste

 Communal Rooms

• Find out how many communal rooms there are and what they are used for (for example, whether there are separate rooms for television, sitting, reading and dining)
• Look at toilets and bathrooms to see if they are equipped with handles and helpful aids

 Social Life

• Find out what sort of activities are offered and how much say you have in what is organised.

 The Contract

• Check first that the home has a written contract with residents & request to see a specimen copy. If the local authority arranges a place for you, it will have a contract with the home. Any contract should cover fees, facilities, services and level of care provided and the complaints procedure
• See whether it covers reasons you could be asked to leave – for instance, because your health has deteriorated and the home can no longer provide suitable care
• Check how much notice you must give if you want to leave