As age sets in, you have to make several difficult decisions depending on how you want to spend your sunset years. Some people opt to go and stay with their children or make adjustments to their current homes to enhance accessibility, which might include installing stair lifts and safety bars in the bathrooms.
If you don’t want to go through all the trouble or don’t want to bother your children and family, the alternative is to opt for a care home, which is also called a residential home. Deciding to go to a care home comes with many benefits, and this guide walks you through everything you need to know about care homes to help make the decision easier.
What is a Care Home?
A care home or residential care home provides accommodation and 24-hour personal care and support for the elderly. Most care homes house residents older than 65 who find it challenging to manage daily life at home.
Residential homes provide residents with a safe place where they are looked after according to their needs. They can get help with daily tasks such as toileting, dressing, washing, mobility, and medication. In a care home setting, the resident can treat the setting as their home and live there with the benefit of access to various services and amenities on the side. The purpose of the residential care home is to ensure that people who cannot live independently but don’t need nursing care are well looked after and continue to lead meaningful lives.
Types of Care Homes
There are different types of care homes to cater to residents with different needs and medical requirements. Some of the types of care homes available include:
Residential care homes
Residential care homes offer the most basic type of care. They are ideal for elderly residents who can still complete some tasks for themselves but need some assistance keeping up with some activities. Residential care homes focus on providing their residents with compassionate and respectful personal care. This includes support with things like:
- Using the toilet
- Getting dressed and undressed
- Personal hygiene tasks, including bathing and washing
- Oral hygiene
- Administering medication and medication management
Residential care is the most common type of care provided in care homes in Leicester. However, the level of care will vary from person to person. Some residents only need a little support, while others may benefit from the round-the-clock care provided at such homes.
Nursing homes
Nursing homes are slightly different from typical residential care homes. In nursing home settings, registered and qualified nurses are necessary to provide specific medical support beyond personal care like getting out of bed, dressing, and washing. Many of the residents in nursing homes receive round-the-clock care from qualified nurses.
Residents in nursing homes experience severe physical or learning disabilities, and some require intensive rehabilitative care of residents with long-term and age-related conditions.
Unlike care homes, where all residents are elderly, nursing homes also offer care for people with terminal illnesses or cancer.They help them manage pain and support them emotionally through their treatment, which also includes end-of-life and palliative care.
Dementia care homes
If you have a loved one living with dementia, it might be more appropriate for them to live in a dementia care home. Such homes offer specialist dementia care. The homes have expert carers who use expert equipment and skills to provide knowledgeable and compassionate support, often around the clock.
Some dementia care homes also have a secure unit that ensures the safety of residents with advanced dementia who are prone to wandering. The homes also have more advanced security features, such as keypad entrances and carefully designed layouts to avoid confusion for the residents.
Dementia care homes offer various services, such as reminiscence therapy, music and art therapy, sensory stimulation, and even aroma therapy. These activities are designed to tap into the residents’ senses, prompt conversation, and trigger emotions associated with happy memories.
Some dementia homes may also include essential equipment such as sensory tables and might have a sensory garden to aid those with dementia.
In such homes, residents are usually allowed to bring furniture from home to make their bedrooms more familiar and easier to settle into. They and their loved ones are often encouraged to create memory boxes filled with sentimental items and old photographs.
Respite care homes
Respite care homes provide short-term support for residents. Residents usually stay for a few weeks while their primary carer takes a break. Respite care homes can also be used as a way of transitioning into a permanent care home.
Conclusion
Large care homes may have wings for different services. Such care homes allow residents to access different professionals within a short time if the need arises. Choosing the correct type of care home for your needs or those of your loved one is crucial to ensure they get the best type of care and that your personal and medical requirements are fully addressed.