Choosing Care
How to choose a Good Care Home for You or your relative
This article is written by the owner of a care home to give you an insiders view of what to look for....
Often, the time you are asked to find a care home for yourself or a relative is a time already fraught with stress and uncertainty. By its very nature, it is a time when there has been a change, be it sudden or gradual, in the person’s ability to continue to live their lives independently.
There may be a new or worsening medical condition to be coming to terms with, or the news of a terminal illness. Whatever the reason, finding the right care home is imperative. Most people have had no experience of the care homes sector, except all the horror stories in the media and so haven’t a clue what it’s important to look for, so I hope the following will be useful to some of you.
There are 4 Types of care homes for older people
• Residential Care Homes (Low dependency, no nursing needs, carers only)
• Care Homes with Nursing (Registered Nurses 24 hours a day, leading teams of carers)
• Residential Care Homes for the EMI (Elderly Mentally Infirm)
• Care Homes with Nursing for the EMI (Registered Mental Nurses (RMN) 24 hours)
Your GP, social worker or those wonderful people at Carers support will advise you on which type of care home is appropriate for you. Once armed with that information, where do you start? An internet search or your local authority care guide will give you have a list of appropriate homes for you to start with. What is the next step?
1) The Bumf - get it in writing!
There is a lot of information which should be available if a home is of good quality:-
• A Service User’s Guide - Each Home should be able to give you one. From this you can get a good idea of what to expect day to day and the philosophy of care they operate under. Ask to look at the policies which are relevant and ensure a good, clear complaints policy.
• Read the latest inspection report from the Care Quality Commission or CQC. A copy should always be available at the home, or you can go on line to www.cqc.org.uk and follow the links to the relevant home. This way you can read it at your leisure.
• The Care Plan - Every resident should have one, Ask how it works - this way you can make sure the health and welfare needs of your loved one are met. Will they involve you the care planning? Do they involve the resident in their care planning review? All these things show a person-centred approach and should indicate a better quality home. Does the home cater for the kind of care that is needed? Do they have any specially trained staff or accreditations (e.g. the GSF (Gold Standards Framework for excellence in end of life care).
• The Contract - be sure to know what’s included in the cost. Some homes charge for things which other homes include in the fee. If your relative qualifies for the Registered Nurse Care Contribution (currently £108.70 per week, paid directly to the nursing home) towards the cost of Qualified Nursing Care, make sure you know whether this amount is discounted from the fee or added to the fee. This will make a huge difference to the amount the resident pays.
2) The Visit - Just turn up.
If you want to see how the home works ‘warts and all’ just turn up. They won’t have had time to make any special preparations for you and you’ll get a more realistic view of what it will be like to live there.
Look out for:-
• A warm welcome
• Personal touches in rooms
• Privacy, and a clean but homely environment
• NO bad smells - there is no excuse for a home smelling of urine
• Do the residents look well cared for and comfortable?
• Do the staff seem to be professional and team orientated? Is there a training programme to keep them up to date?
• Is there a happy and positive atmosphere to live in?
• As well as showing you round, does the nurse show an interest in the particular needs of the person needing care? Do they ask relevant questions about the level of care needed? Do they ask about you, and how you feel about this transition in your life? Often it is not just the potential resident who will be needing support, but the family and carers - it is important to understand that this is often a tough time for them, when feelings of guilt can become overwhelming.
- Day to day living
• Choice of what, when and where to eat. Ask to look at the menu; are special diets catered for, is a glass of wine or sherry offered at meal times?
• A range of activities to take part in, including outings (is there transport?)
• Visitors welcome anytime
• Flexible bed times
• Religious, cultural and other needs catered for?
• Are the carers talking to and interacting with the residents?
If you are having trouble deciding for sure, all homes should have a policy of offering a trial period, during which it is ok to say that you don’t feel it’s right for your relative. If there isn’t such a policy in place, you could be asked for a full month’s notice or fees! It’s important that the home is the right place, so another way to test a home is to go there for respite, i.e. a short stay with no obligations.
I do hope that this might have helped .
Louise Bruce is the owner of the Melrose Care Home in Worthing.
7-11 Wykeham Road,
Worthing,
BN11 4JG
Telephone:
01903 230406
Fax:
01903 216258
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