Finding a care home for a relative is a huge task. While there are tools such as Compare All Care out there to help narrow down your search, getting started will feel like a somewhat mammoth task in itself.
Come up with a checklist of requirements. These are likely to be variable depending on the specific circumstances of your loved one. For example, the location of the home can be hugely important, but do you want somewhere near where you live so you can visit frequently, or someone near where your relative is living so that their lives are as minimally disrupted as possible. Regardless of the option you go for we highly recommend talking every stage through with your relative regardless of whether they're fully capable of making their own decisions. You need to pick somewhere which is accessible, so make sure there are strong transportation links.
If your relative is religious you're also going to want to find something with a place of worship in easy accessibility (remember that this will be difficult regardless for those with reduced mobility, so the best option when possible is an onsite chapel).
Using Compare All Care, you'll be able to find a selection of places which are near to a location and therefore are most convenient. Check the area for amenities and make sure there is everything you could need nearby (it can be particularly useful to be situated near to a doctor's surgery, for example).
When you visit, look at the rooms themselves. How warm are they? You want somewhere which is neither too hot nor too cold. Try and assess whether the communal areas are well used - are people sitting in there and interacting? If not it could be that people lead more solitary existences, and this might not be what you're looking for from your care home.
Is there are a choice of rooms depending on your choices? If you like to sit in the sunshine then you might want a south facing room, or you might want to be a little further away from the communal areas for peace and quiet. Some will even let you bring a pet in with you, while others will mean that you have to give up any animals which you might have.
Ultimately, it all comes down to personal choices and preferences. You can use Compare All Care to start your search, but ultimately it's all down to what suits you.
Joseph works at Compare All Care. In his free time he writes articles on the different aspects you need to consider when searching for the perfect home carer/care home.
