If you’ve reached that stage in life when you’re considering a care or nursing home, it’s important that you do all that you can to ensure that you make the right choice. Whether you’re looking for the perfect care home for yourself or a family member, you need to be sure that what’s on offer leads to long-term happiness alongside meeting all care needs.
You may have decided that you need a residential care home, or you perhaps need the additional support that comes with nursing care. Regardless, you need to be sure that you’re getting the care, and the environment, that you need, and deserve. Our tips can make sure you get just that.
An overview of what to look for when choosing a care home
There are key considerations that you should be aware of when choosing a residential care home. The most important points to look at are:
• Area: do you have your heart set on a certain location? What care homes are there in the area?
• The care provided: do you need a residential care home? Are you seeking nursing care? Do you need a care home that offers support for dementia or end-of-life care?
• Ratings and reviews: what does the Quality Care Commission have to say? What have residents and their families said online?
• Costs: what are the costs of the care that you need? Have you explored how you will meet these?
• Availability: if you have a care home in mind, are there any current bed vacancies for a respite period?
How to find the care home that’s right for you
While the key points provided a snapshot of what to consider when looking for residential or nursing care, we want to explore things in a little more detail so that you’re in a place where you can be sure of making the best decision for you:
Care home location
If you’re looking for private residential and nursing care in Norwich, we’d like to think that you’ll take the time to explore what we have on offer. The location of a potential nursing home is a major factor when it comes to choosing somewhere that’s suitable. Being close to family and friends is likely to be a consideration, so you’ll need to explore what exists within a set radius.
Consider the type of care that you need
Before you set your heart on a particular care home, you need to be sure that it covers your needs. If you explore what’s offered by a residential care home, you may find that this covers all that you require. If you need extra support, and nursing care is required, be sure that care homes that you’re exploring offer this and have staff that are appropriately trained.
If a family member has reached a stage where end-of-life care is needed, or maybe when dementia care is required, you need to be sure that care homes specialise in these areas and can cater for these specific needs.
Rating and reviews matter when it comes to choosing a care home
When trying to find the nursing home that’s right for you, there needs to be the reassurance that the care provided is first-class and that all of your needs are catered for. You can learn about the quality of care offered by looking at the Quality Care Commission reports. At Oakwood House, we’re proud of our ‘Good’ rating.
Alongside this, it’s important to know just what residents and their families really think. You can find reviews for care and nursing homes on their own websites, as well as on review sites such as Carehome.co.uk. Knowing what others have to say can provide a great insight into how things really are.
Create a short list of care homes and then pay them a visit
When you find care homes that tick the boxes and meet your requirements, it’s time to make a shortlist. Once you have your shortlist, it’s worth taking the step to pay a visit. Spending time in your potential nursing home of choice can allow you to see how things really are.
Don’t feel that your care home visits should be rushed. You should take your time to talk to staff members and make sure that you can address any concerns. It’s also great to spend time talking to residents and to get a flavour of how settled and happy they are.
Taking your care home visit a step further with respite care
There’s no better way of knowing if a care home is for you than experiencing it for yourself. Care homes and nursing care homes will often offer short-term stays for people. It could be that careers need a break or it could be that you need some extra care while you recover from an illness or injury
As a respite resident, you get to enjoy everything that permanent residents do. This means you get to explore mealtimes, entertainment and activities and the levels of care provided. This is a fantastic way to be sure that a care home meets your needs.
