Choosing a Care Home
Our guide to finding the right Home for you
Choosing a care home for a loved one can seem like a daunting task especially as it will no doubt be a very emotional time. You do, however, need to consider some practicalities and we suggest a five step process.
1. Request a care needs assessment
It is important to understand the specific care that your loved one may need when staying in residential care. When you understand this it will help you shortlist the homes that would be suitable for their care.
2. Shortlist suitable care homes
Once you have a care needs assessment you will be able to shortlist homes based on the services that they provide and take into consideration suitable locations so that you can easily arrange to visit.
3. Check CQC inspection reports
Up to date CQC inspection reports should be easy to find and are often in the websites of individual care homes. These reports will be a helpful independent view of the performance of individual care homes.
4. Ask friends and family for recommendations
If you have friends or family that have been in a similar situation why not ask them for a recommendation? This may not always lead to the best home for your circumstances but a personal recommendation is always helpful.
5. Visit the care home
Once you have made a shortlist to suit the care needed, the location and checked out the independent reports we would always recommend visiting your shortlist. As each care home on your shortlist should be technically up to the job then it's down to "how does it feel". After all it's vitally important that your loved one will be happy and cared for in their new surroundings.