For some families or individuals, the decision to move either a loved one or themselves into a care home is straightforward. However, for many others, this decision may feel complicated, difficult and overwhelming. We understand that moving into a care home can be challenging and emotional for both the individual and their family.
Ensuring you’re thoroughly informed, and have the right support and guidance, can be very helpful and reassuring when it comes to deciding if it is the right time to move into a care home.
How do I know if I need to move into a care home?
Making the decision to move into a care home can depend on a number of things. Here are a few reasons why you may feel now is the right time for yourself, or a loved one, to move into a care home:
Day-to-day activities are a struggle
If you are struggling to manage your day-to-day activities such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, dressing and washing, it might be worth looking for additional support from family members, friends or neighbours. However, if you're unable to get extra support on a consistent basis, moving into a care home can certainly get you the continuous help you need.
Family and friends can’t provide adequate care
As previously mentioned, family members or friends might not always be able to help or provide adequate care on a daily and consistent basis. This might be due to their own work or perhaps because they live far away. If this is the case, it might be time to consider moving into a care home.
Illness, accident recovery or health conditions need careful management
Taking care of yourself whilst ill, after an accident such as a fall, or whilst living with complex medical conditions, is hard enough. As well as coping with any pain, injuries or disabilities, you may also need to consistently take medication. This is often required to be taken on a very regular basis, at certain times of day, and it can be hard to keep track of. Missing this medication can become a setback in your health or recovery. When moving into a care home, you can get the right assistance with medications and help to speed up your recovery and stay well.
Safety is at risk
Besides the difficulty of performing your day-to-day activities, maintaining your home can become a difficult task as well. Doing certain activities around the house may put your safety at risk. Walking up and down the stairs, cooking, getting in and out of bed or chair, taking a bath or shower, can easily become hazards. In order to stay safe, this might also indicate that it’s time to move into a care home.
What type of care home should I move into?
This depends on your preference and on the type of care you may need. If you’re not ready to move into a care home full time or simply want to give your family a break from day-to-day caring, moving into a care home that provides respite care could be the best option.
Everyone is entitled to a free care needs assessment to ascertain the level of care you require. Having an assessment will help you choose the type of care home you need. A residential care home will be able to support you with day to day tasks such as washing and dressing. A nursing care home will be able to support you with more clinical needs. You may want to look ahead to the future and consider a home that offers more specialised care too. A member of the care home team will undertake this assessment to ensure they can meet your needs.
To find out more about the care types that we offer, you can read more here.
Remember also to think about your overall well being when choosing a care home. What makes you feel content, comfortable and happy should all be taken into consideration. It may be important to enjoy companionship; a varied menu; be geographically close to family and friends; pursue new interests or feel connected with your community. The care home you choose, should reflect these personal preferences as well as being able to meet your care needs.
If you want to book a visit to one of our homes or speak to our friendly staff then you can contact us here
