Choosing a Care Home

Nutrition & Mealtimes

Food and drink are critical to our health and well-being in so many ways. Care homes should be able to cater for a wide variety of dietary needs, and should take into account individual needs, preferences, allergies and cultural and religious backgrounds.

An enjoyable dining experience is also an important consideration. Residents should be able to choose where they enjoy their meals, whether in the communal dining rooms or the privacy of their own room. Some homes will allow guests to dine with residents and even cater for special occasions in a private dining room.

Malnutrition is a risk for the elderly as tastes, preferences and appetite change. It can have a wide-ranging impact on health, and therefore screening for the risk of malnutrition in care settings is important for enabling early and effective interventions. You may want to request information about the care home’s screening processes for the risk of malnutrition and their process for early and effective intervention.

Activities & Lifestyle

It is important for residents living in a care home to do so as independently as possible. This helps to maintain a sense of purpose that is vital for an older person’s wellbeing and overall health. Residents should have the opportunity to try new activities and continue with life-long hobbies and interests should they wish to do so.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) set quality standards to help care homes improve the quality of care they provide. Their quality standard for ‘Mental wellbeing of older people in care homes’ states that care homes should offer residents the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities that promote their health and mental wellbeing.

These Activities should be both structured and spontaneous and available for groups of residents, or for individuals.  They should also involve family, friends, carers, and the wider community wherever possible. Activities range from daily living such as dressing, eating and washing, to leisure activities such as gardening, singing, arts and crafts, and even day trips out into the local community.

During your visit, request some more information about the variety of activities and how often will they will be available. You may also be able to join the home during one of their community events/activities, where you will be able to see first hand what the care home will be offering.

The Care

It is important for care homes to involve residents, family and friends throughout the decision making process of care. Providing a supportive setting that enables the resident to express their wishes helps to maintain their sense of personal identity, and creates a more positive experience of the transition into a care home.

There should be a care plan created which identifies the specific needs and preferences of the individual and provides staff with information about their personal history, interests and beliefs.

Care homes should also have suitable processes in place for ongoing care, recognising the signs and symptoms of physical and medical problems that may arise, involving GPs, physios, dentists and opticians where appropriate, and informing family members of any changes.

During your search for a care home, ask about admission into the care home, how care plans are created, if they have any examples to view, who is involved and what processes are in place for the ongoing maintenance.

Care Home Ratings

All care homes will be rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and these ratings can help guide your choice. There are four possible ratings given to care homes: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

Care homes are normally given these ratings based on each of the five key questions that are asked during an inspection.

• Are they safe?
• Are they effective?
• Are they caring?
• Are they responsive to people’s needs?
• Are they well-led?

By law, care providers have to display the ratings given to them in the places where they provide care,  as well as somewhere that people who use their services can easily see them, and also show their rating on their website.

You can find out more about their rating system here.

Customer Reviews

Reading the reviews left by relatives, friends and residents who have had first hand experience of the services provides a good insight into life in the care home. Reviews can be long, short, useful and not so useful. Some reviews can be detailed, packed with useful insights that will provide useful information for your search.

These should be available in marketing materials provided by the care home as well as their website. Reviews will also be available to read online at websites such as carehome.co.uk, Trustpilot, and Google search.

Finding More Information

You can speak with the care sector regulator, the CQC, which maintains lists of care homes and publishes independent reports online. You can use the CQC website to search for care homes in your area and view their inspection reports.  Age UK also provides some useful information to help and find a care home, as well as other options that you could consider in your search.

For specific questions relating to someone who is living with dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society provides useful information, from advice to real stories as well as latest research in dementia.