How to recognise a loved one’s care needs choose the right care home for them

Helping someone to choose a care home is a big responsibility. It’s a significant change in the life of your loved one and of those around them, so it’s important to get it right. Before you start looking for a care home, you need to make sure you know exactly what they are likely to need. This includes looking at both current medical and wellbeing needs.

Healthcare needs

Living with disabilities or certain health conditions is likely to be the trigger for deciding to look for a residential care home for a family member. Often, the family does as much as it can to care for a loved one in a home setting, and moving to a care home only becomes an option if that care becomes too difficult, or if your family member develops specific needs that require professional care.

This is where a good relationship with your GP and any local social care services can really help. Not only will they be able to give advice in terms of the care needed – or a guide to what you can expect in the future – they are often able to signpost you to specialist services, recommend care home settings and help you work out what you need to look for when you are making your decisions.

Think about:

Mobility – how mobile is your family member? Will they need a room with wheelchair access? Can they manage stairs, or do they need a ground floor room. Will they need particular assistance – help with showering or using the toilet, for example?

Medication – what medication do they need? How will this be managed in the care homes you’re considering?

Nursing needs – does your family member need specific nursing needs or just general support? If they need specialist care, you will need to look at nursing homes rather than general residential homes.

General needs – will your family member be able to retain their existing GP, or will the GP change when they move into the home? If it changes, will you be able to have a meeting with the new GP to inform the care plan and make sure you and your family member are comfortable with the change?

Managing wellbeing

Of course, moving into a care home is not just about health – it’s about maintaining a quality of life. This means having the ability to socialise, chat with staff and other residents, take part in events, and leave the home to see family or friends if able.

So part of choosing the right care home is looking into the engagement and motivation of the staff, finding out what social and group activities are offered in the care home, assessing outdoor space such as gardens, courtyards and seating areas, and finding out what policies the care home has for external trips and visits.

And finally, you need to make sure that visiting is allowed as often as possible. Lack of contact with family and friends can often be difficult for people moving into a care home, so a home that allows lots of visitors will help your family member to settle in, help to keep everyone in touch and provide an essential point of contact with staff.