There are various care home types to choose between, and they are suitable for different care needs. It can be confusing to choose care homes when you are confronted by different types of care homes such as dementia care homes, or residential care homes.
When you come to St Philips Care our experienced managers will make sure that they provide advice and support to help you to find the right type of care home for you or your loved one. We understand that this can be a challenging time for your family and we provide advice and support for you, to enable you to make a considered decision about the next step.
Types of Care Homes
All types of care homes will vary according to the care they offer. Understanding the different types of care associated with the types of care home will help you to make a better decision about what your care requirements are. Choosing care can be daunting, but the more you understand about care the easier the decision will become. Once we understand more about things, a seemingly large choice of different options will come down to a much smaller range of care options.
For example, an older person with dementia will in general be best suited to being in a dementia-friendly residential care home. A nursing home could offer too high a level of care, and home care will probably not provide enough support, whereas a residential care home will probably give the correct level of care to address the care needs of a person with dementia. Whereas a person who requires palliative care may be best suited to a nursing home, or a hospice, depending upon the level of care need.
Care should always be chosen around a person’s care need. Good professionals, such as our home managers, will provide advice and support to you and your family to help this to happen.
Residential Care Homes
Residential care homes provide a supportive and caring environment for older people to live in as part of a community. Typically residents in a care home have their own room or studio apartment and then enjoy the communal areas for use with other residents. Home-cooked meals are served throughout the day, usually in the dining room, though individuals can request to dine in their rooms if they would rather.
We ensure that there are different activities for our residents to participate in throughout the day. Care homes are staffed by trained carers providing care, including personal care and help with daily living 24-hours a day, as well as receiving nursing support from peripatetic district nurses.
Care Homes with Nursing
Nursing homes have onsite registered nurses. This is a good solution for people who have complex care needs, who require nursing invention regularly. Nursing homes can be used where the level of care needs becomes too high for a care home, or where care is needed after a period of hospitalisation.
A combination of carers and nurses look after the care needs of the residents of a nursing home 24 hours a day.
Retirement Villages
Typically retirement villages are groups of houses or apartments that are specifically for the older person to live in. These properties, which in general are purchased, are situated with access to a host of communal features such as cafes and shops.
Care can be offered with the property, but this care varies from site to site and requires careful consideration to check that the care offered will be sufficient for the residents’ care needs.
Adult Day Care Centres
Some residential care homes offer daycare as one of their care facilities and care options. This can be a useful stepping stone for those people considering moving into a care home. Specific adult daycare centres are a good place for older people to go during the daytime for company and activities.
It can be lonely living by oneself and being able to access daycare centres can make all the difference.
Home Care
Home care is when carers come into your house and provide you with additional care, support, and companionship. This can be a good solution where an older person does not want to leave their house but is starting to struggle with some of the challenges of independent living.
Sometimes simple assistance with shopping and cooking can make all the difference to a person’s ability to stay in their own house. Help with personal care such as bathing can be enough to enable an older person to stay in their own house till they are ready to make the move into a care home.
Mental Health Homes
Mental health issues can be very disabling for people. Mental health homes provide support and care to either create a long-term solution to living or as a pathway towards independent living. Trained carers work with the residents to empower them to learn the skills they need to live independently. Most mental health homes have several apartments with ensuites and kitchenettes which help residents to experience independent living with the back-up of the staff.
Mental health homes also provide respite stays for those who are cared for by their family members, which can be vital for the well-being of all.
Hospices
Hospices provide care to those who are dying or suffering from life-limiting conditions. Some hospices also provide nurses and equipment to support care to those who wish to die at home. Some hospices give people a safe place to be cared for in their final stages.
Our care homes provide palliative or end-of-life care, with our trained carers being on hand to provide care, comfort, and compassion during this time.
Do I actually need a care home?
We understand that taking the step to move into a care home is a big decision. Our home managers have the experience to help you and your family to understand the process and to support you throughout this time. Our home manager will answer all your questions and help you to decide whether this is the right step for you or your loved one. Before any resident enters our care homes we always carry out a thorough care needs assessment.
This process ascertains that we can give the resident the care that they need in one of our homes and is a vital part of the process. Some elderly people like to come for a respite stay in one of our homes before deciding to move into the home. This can work very well. We often find that elderly people who were initially reluctant to stay in our homes don’t want to return to their own homes at the end of their stay.
They realise how enjoyable the companionable nature of a care home can be. You don’t need a high level of care to live in a care home. Some residents are very independent and enjoy going out and about in the local community, they just benefit from the support living in a care home community offers them. If you don’t have to expend all your energy on running your home, you can use that energy to do pleasurable things such as arts and crafts or trips into the local town.
Benefits of care homes
There are many benefits to choosing a care home over some of the other types of care that are available. Relying on family or friends to assist you with day-to-day living can put a strain on your relationships. Once your family no longer needs to spend the time carrying out tasks for you, you may find that you have more time with them just enjoying their company.
Home care can help to alleviate some of these tensions, but can still leave people feeling lonely. Often the time allocated to carers to provide home care is very limited, so they don’t have time to stop for a chat. Through no fault of their own, the carers are often rushing.
Retirement villages can be a good solution whilst the level of care needs are not too high, but they tend to lack the flexibility to adapt to changing care needs. One of the great benefits of care homes is that as people’s care needs change we can simply adjust the care provided. There is no need for the individual to move several times as we can just increase the assistance given.
Many illnesses in old age do get worse over time, care homes are prepared for this and can provide a better long-term solution than many of the other options that are available for the elderly.
Providing support in old age
In our care homes, we aim to provide a range of services and types of care for all needs. Whether people require nursing care, dementia care, or simply the companionship of living in a care home, we can help. Our home managers are on hand to help with the adjustment to care home living and can provide advice and support to you on how best to make this transition into a care home happen.
All change is tricky, but communication is the key to making the change happen. We are always here to answer any questions that you may have about care homes and to help you or your loved one to take the next step. Whatever your situation, we can help.